Fierce like Fire
by redheadclover
Summary: All Rose and Chato wanted was a normal life with their daughter, leaving the Suicide Squad far behind them. But they get ropped back in when there's a manhunt for all Metahumans, including their own family. How far will Chato and Rose go to keep their daughter safe? Sequel to As Tough As Diamonds ((Chato X OC))
1. Chapter 1

I had another dream, this one was back when that witch tricked our minds at Midway City.

The first one that I dream about was my family, the one I lost before things went to shit. I saw her, Grace, how beautiful she looked there and watching me as my two kids slept there on the couch. It was a heartache, a big heartache that made it feel more real than anything else before. For a split, second I thought it was real enough, that the witch could change it.

For only for a second, that's when I woke up.

The second dream was more out of place, maybe a thought more than a dream really, and it threw me for a loop. I was back in some kind of club out in New Orleans. The music was beyond loud, some kind of house band that was playing rock music and the sound was blaring in the speakers that were along the walls and from the stage. It was dark, the lights were low and tinted blue and purple. People were moving around and next to me as I was looking in the mirror at my own reflection. But it wasn't me, not the tattooed gang member me that I was seeing.

Naw, it was before all that shit when down.

My brown hair short and trimmed down, my face clear and almost looking different from what I was used to. I had a smooth face, almost looking way too young and feeling out of place in being in that kind of place as I was wearing jeans, sneakers, a shirt with a light jacket over it. Did I belong there? I looked at myself in confusion, this was what I looked like before I was a gang member? Was this real? Looking over to my left, I saw the dance floor there with the people jumping up and down with the band, my body for some reason finding its way over to the dance floor itself and pushing past the people there that were dancing and in their own worlds. I was feeling the vibrations of the music against my skin there, in which I looked down and saw none of my tattoos there along my skin.

 _Hello again,_

 _Friend of a friend,_

 _I knew you when_

 _Our common goal_

 _was waiting for_

 _the world to end_

I was seeing the people there, none of them I thought I would be around in real life. This place felt like an escape for people, almost like a safe haven and I was still wondering what was going on and what I was doing. It wasn't until I saw someone push pass me lightly, not in an aggressive way but it a regular manner to move with the music, when I saw something that seemed familiar, almost too familiar.

A diamond tattoo, along her neck.

Rose?

 _Now that the truth_

 _Is just a rule_

 _that you can bend_

 _You crack the white_

 _shape-shift and trick_

 _the past again_

The Bass line was thumping against my pulse now as I looked at the young woman who went past me, dancing along with the music by herself and her eyes closed. She was no skinny lady, her curves along her hips and legs moved along in time within the music and her hair flying with every bob of the beat. She was wearing a long dress that came to her knees and the back to her mid-calf, it was olive and dark against her pale skin and a denim long-sleeved jacket over her arms and shoulders. Her freckles danced on her skin there even from afar, and her tattoo on the back of her neck was vibrant and yet dark.

I was pulled to her.

 _I'll send you my love, on a wire_

 _Lift you up every time, everyone_

 _pulls away, ooh, from you…_

I was moving towards her without even knowing what I was doing, somehow going along with the music and feeling something under my skin as bubbling up and over like a hot fever from just seeing her. She was in her own mind and was enjoying it, nothing was shaking her and making her think twice, it was interacting for me to look at. I was close enough now for her look over her shoulder at me now, having me see her fully now in the face.

Bright green eyes, it was Rose.

She grinned at me, a genuine smile now as the smile went on and we stood there, looking at each other and everything else seemed to be going on, time wasn't stopping as I drank her in. The look of the lights there in the club on her round but firm face, how her teeth ere seen there behind her lips and how she almost smelled like both beer and a hint of lavender was making me feel dizzy. She reached out, her dark purple fingernails there touching my own hands there as I looked down at our joined fingertips. Why wasn't she reacting to my hot touch there, nor was I reacting to her cool temperature? Something felt off there, it was as if…

As if we were humans.

"Dance with me?" She asked, her southern drawl of an accent was making me dizzy all over again. My arms were around her waist, her arms around my neck as we were dancing together with the new rock song that came on over the speaker. It felt…normal and almost right at the same time. The both of us…normal and not running from something or fight. I was lost in it for a few solid seconds, just being able to feel her there in my arms there.

 _What's going to left of the world if you're not in it_

 _What going to be left of the world, oh._

 _Every minute of every hour,_

 _I miss I miss you I miss you more._

 _Every stumble and each misfire_

 _I miss you I miss you more._

It was then that I knew something was wrong. This was not us, as much as I wanted it to be. Something was wrong, it felt wrong there as I looked down at her face, her beautiful face that I knew and fell in love with. There was something there along her eye, against her skin like a dent. It made me look at her with wide eyes now as I knew what it was. That bastard, he did that to her.

Her scar.

He did that to her because of who she was, what she was. How was it that it was still there if she wasn't a metahuman in that sick of a….dream? This had to be a dream, no matter how good to felt to just hold her close and breathe her in, to be close neigh to kiss her. This was real.

As soon as I pushed away from her, the dream was done.

* * *

I woke up with a gasp, seeing the high ceiling above me there and I felt like I was about to have a heart attack from what I saw. That same dream, again, was back in my mind now as I was looking at the shadows from the trees outside the house. It was windy that night, the trees near the house were tapping along the edges and the windows now in the early hours of the morning. I was getting used to it since the silence of the prison was too familiar to me. Rose went through the same thing, no longer she couldn't sleep at night.

Speaking of which.

I looked over, seeing her on her side of the bed fast asleep. She didn't hear me gasp out from my dream not did she move. She was a pretty good sleep these days, having me reach out to her and see the tattoos on my arms and hands there, another reality check that the dream I was had just that, a dream. I hated that dream, hated it and envied it. It was almost a reminder that Rose and I could have met when I wasn't a gang member and she wasn't trying to run from her family. We could have been together, could we? It almost felt like it as I touched her arm there closest to me, feeling her stir a bit but still stay asleep. I could watch her for hours on end, still not understanding how I fell in love with her and her with me. It didn't make sense, it wasn't even goddamn logically sane. I was rough, she was soft. I was fire and uncertainty, she was toughness and stability.

We were opposites that were attracted to one another.

I heard small footsteps at the opening of the bedroom door, having me retreat my hand from Rose's arm and look past her at the door, seeing a small silhouette at the door holding the handle there. I looked a bit concerned now as figure spoke up.

"Daddy?"

I knew that voice she had, she would rarely use it since she was far too positive. I rubbed my face and sat up on the bed, seeing a better view of her now as I moved out of the bed without waking Rose. I walked along the hardwood floor, avoiding the edge of the bed which was my bad habit from time to time now as I squatted down in front of her. She was hearing one of her pajama dresses, her long hair framing her face.

My daughter Mary.

"What's wrong, baby?" I asked her in a quiet tone, seeing her lip quivering and how she was almost on the verge of tears.

"I can't sleep, daddy. The house is making noises," She explained to me softly, her green eyes were making me a sucker for her since she looked too much like her mother. She was too gentle and kind, something that I loved about her.

"Come here," I said to her, holding out one hand and see her instantly mold into my arms there, wrapping both of her arms around me and cuddling into me close. I breathed her in, smelling the strawberry shampoo that she used for her bath, "I'll tuck you into bed."

"But daddy, I'm scared," She said to me as I picked her up and felt her wrap her legs around my waist within an instant.

"You don't have to be scared, _mi amor_ ," I reminded her as we walked down the dim hallway with the nightlights showing us the way to her room, "You know your mommy and I will protect you, right?"

"I know, daddy," She said to me as she rested her head near my neck there,"You and mommy will protect me from anything." It pained me to hear her say that as if it was etched in her brain for her to remember. But it was one of those things that Rose and I would remind her if something were to happen to her that her mother and I would protect her and not let anything happen to her.

It was fucked up situation, to be honest.

I opened the door into her room, seeing the tints of pink and green on her walls there as well as a wide window that was looking out into the forest behind the green curtains. She had plenty of toys and things in her room that made it look cluttered, which was ironic since her room was bigger than our room. Her bed was against the wall near the window, and I could see the big shadows of the trees there along her wall.

"You feel like goin' to sleep yet?" I asked her as I walked her over to her bed, she shook her head there and I had to think of what I could do to help her get to sleep. When she was up, she was up, there was no real way to have her go to sleep on her own. Rose and I would have to tag team to get Mary to go to sleep, so now it was my turn. One of the things I would do with her, though her mother would not really approve of it, made me look at Mary now with a raised eyebrow.

"You feel like coloring?"

* * *

"What made you wake up?"

"The noises. They sounded scary,"

"I've heard you growl at me when you were a lion in your school play. _That_ is scary,"

"No uh, daddy,"

I giggled as she was sitting in my lap, her back against my chest and she had one of my arms in front of her, coloring my tattoos that were there with one of her washable markers. This was one of the things that we would do together, Mary coloring my tattoos and giving them some life there. I thought it would be a negative stigma for her to have a tattooed ex-gang member for a father, but God bless that little girl for seeing me as more than her father.

As her everything.

"Daddy," Mary said to me as she was getting a green marker out of from her box that was next to her, "How did you meet mommy?"

"Why you wanna know?" I asked her as she stuck her tongue again.

"Tell me, please?" She asked me, all too innocently now as I grinned, once again not able to say no to her at all. She looked back at me now, the dim room there still not able to tone down her green eyes that were shining from the bluest tint of the moon. How was I going to voice it to her, to say it in a way that not only she would understand, but not make it a burden as well? How much could she understand?

"I met mommy awhile ago, and we had to help save the world," Sure, most of it was a lie. But then again, it would be worst to tell her that I was called a villain and her mother was almost in prison for something that was out of her control. Hell, we both were.

"From bad guys?" She asked now as she moved onto a blue marker.

"Yeah, yeah from bad guys," I answered her, "It was the both of us and some others too."

"I like them, daddy," She voiced to me, having me grin from how she was talking about both Boomerang and Deadshot. They were great with her, along the rest of the squad. None of them were ever ill towards her as if she was part of the gang already. It was reassuring, at least it was to me, that she had a family within a family. We sat there together, in the darkness of her bedroom there as she was doodling away on my arm and having me feel the tingling of the marker against my skin. I felt as though I could fall asleep there with her in my arms, another safe place for me to believe in that could bring me out of the darkness and of doubt. But it reminded me, once again, of my old family in the past that I lost and how it was still a dull pain there with me. The pain that I tried to bury, it would come up every once in awhile when I wasn't ready for it.

"You look sad, daddy," I was brought back to my thoughts as Mary was looking right at me now, her look there reminded me of Rose. She had the same look, the look of concern and worry there. Did I look sad to her? I felt terrible as I shook my head at her.

"I'm not sad, baby," I said to her now in a calm manner, seeing her carefully move the markers off her lap and not the floor, moving over to snuggle into me and I wrapped both of my arms around her. I rest my chin on top of her head and she felt warm herself against me.

"Don't be sad, daddy," She reminded me softly as I stroked her hair, "I don't like it when you're sad."

"I know you don't," I added to her, "You gonna protect me too?"

"Always," She replied to me, almost like a mantra that she would use on me,"I like you when you're happy."

"You know what makes me happy?" I asked her in a curious manner, seeing her grin against me now as she nodded her head, her hair tickling my skin.

"You like to cook, have me give you tattoos," She explained as if she was reading off a laundry list, "And you listen to music all the time, you play with me outside and I get to tackle you."

"Be nice," I teased her, hearing her giggle there in my arms as I poked her in the side, "You make me happy, beautiful."

"So does mommy," I paused when she said that, sounding so sure about it as I was thinking back to the simple phrase that she told me. Her mother made me happy, which was the most truthful thing I have eve heard of and thought as true in my life. Rose made me more than happy, all from her simple kindness and need to be selfless and good. There was always a doubtful thought that I didn't deserve someone like Rose, that we both were never supposed to be together and be this happy. But ti did, and it made me happy where I was as I kissed Mary's hair.

"Yeah, _mi amo_ r. So does mommy."

* * *

I fell asleep in that bed, though it wasn't comfortable for me since I was mostly curled up around my daughter who was fast asleep in my arms. Her bed the same size as my old cot back at the prison, which was oddly convenient. I woke up to the morning rays of the sun hitting my face and the calmness of the house that it had when we would wake up. I squinted a bit, seeing the brightness of the room there as I rubbed my face and looked down at the sleeping child in my arms, whom as curled towards me and was huddled in for either warmth or comfort. I didn't care which one since I could stay like this forever.

She was fast sleep, the face she would make as she was sleeping was the same as her mother. Her hair sprawled out against the pillow and her lips almost pouted. She was far too beautiful, having me watch her for what felt like hours but the were minutes. When did I turn into a sap, someone so soft?

Slowly and without waking her up, I curled myself on the bed there and stood back up, feeling the chill in the room as I stretched out and popped a few bones here and there and sighed in relief from seeing the morning again without regret. It was peaceful in the room, having me turn around at the doorway and see none other than Rose there. She was smiling, in her boxers and t-shirt as her pajamas and leaned her head against the doorframe, as if she as looking at me in adoration and in a sigh. I grinned at her, walking over slowly to her and seeing her messy bed hair and the tiredness in her face.

"She had a nightmare?" Rose asked me when we were close enough.

"I didn't wanna wake ya," I said to her in my rough morning tone, seeing her grin up at me now as she cocked her head at my daughter's direction.

"I thought you wouldn't be able to fit in that bed," She teased, having me roll my eyes as I wrapped my arms around her to pull her in. She pulled me in two, the both of us hugging there in the doorway and just getting the morning started. She pulled away slight,y having me look at her in confusion as she grabbed part of my upper hand, having me look too. She saw the coloring there, then giving me a look there and I grinned.

"Mary made me do it," I convinced, seeing her grin at me and shake her head.

"Don't blame our daughter," She advised me,

"It was her idea, I swear."

* * *

"You sure you can't come out?"

"I wish I could, flame boy. But I'm tied up today."

"Come on, Harley. You know Rose wants to see ya." I looked over at Rose and Mary, both of whom were sitting in the bathroom and Rose was combing out her hair. After we all got up that day and had some breakfast, I wanted to call the one person that both Rose and I have been wanting to see for some time, but given the cirumstances it was harder to do. She was still wokring the circut with her crew, doing so many things and still being beyond crazy.

Harley Quinn.

"I know I know. I've been a deadbeat Godmother." She said in a mutter on her end.

"Hey, I know deadbeats. You ain't one," I reminded her, looking back to hear my daughter giggling from something my wife told her. They were in thier own element there as I heard Harley talk again.

"Give love to the little one for me, okay? I'll come out when I can. You know me, flame boy." She reassued me, having me pause and think about it. She was still with the Joker guy, and since Rose told him no on working for him, he's been a arms length away. We haven't heard from the guy personally, but I knew more about him than I could care to admit. He was still dangerous, he was still on edge, and she was still with him. It made me worry, even with the plenty of times I wish I could tell her to leave the guy.

"Yeah, yeah I'll tell her." I replied to her simply, hearing her giggle there on her end.

"And give that wife of yours a kiss, and don't be jealous." I had to crack a grin from how she said it.

There never will be a girl like Harley Quinn.

* * *

"I got ya somethin', darlin'," Boomerang was handing Mary something from behind his back as we were all visiting each other outside in the backyard, another visiting time that the Squad had with us since they had nothing else to do with their lives back at the prison. We knew that it was beyond impossible to cut out the others from our lives since that was our initial thought before Mary was born. It was too dangerous, for mary to be in that kind of world. But now, when we worked it out to where they could visit from time to time, both with and without Waller's consent.

So today, we had Boomerang, Deadshot, Flag, June, and Croc. Flag brought them in for the afternoon since they were having a break between missions and they were wanting to come and say hello. When they arrived, we moved out get together the backyard where we were barbecuing some food for them to eat. I grinned as Boomerang handed her another plus toy, this time, it was a boomerang.

"Thank you!" She said to him in glee as she snuggled into the plush toy and hugged him close, almost knocking him off his feet and he chuckled. I was drinking a beer with Deadshot and Flag as Rose was talking with Croc and June there near Boomerang and Mary.

"He keeps adding to her toy collection," I joked with the guys there, "I swear, he's responsible for about half of her plush toys in her room alone."

"You want him to bring her a real weapon?" Deadshot asked me in a hint of a joke, I shook my head.

"Naw, she loves them. She loves you guys," I replied, seeing Deadshot watch her now with his eyes there and a small look on his lips.

"She's gettin' big. You'll be seein' her get her diploma before you know it, man. Keep a hold on that one," Deadshot advised me as he took another drink from his beer, having me nod in agreement. These years with her already went too fast for my liking, and I knew Rose was thinking the same thing as she was being shown Mary's new toy with adoration.

"Hey, how's the team goin'? I heard you guys have new members or somethin'." I said to Flag now as he nodded with his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah, we got a few new ones: Blockbuster, Bronze Tiger and Waller's looking at a few more," He explained to me, having me hear about those guys in the news. They were rough around the edges, like me when I started with Waller, "We're working with them, though it's tougher than I thought."

"He gave the same speech that he gave us from Midway City," Deadshot explained to me in a joking tone, then mimicking Flag's face as he quoted him, " 'You disobey me..….you die. You try to escape..…you die.' "

"Cool it Deadshot," Flag said to him with a small smile as I then heard my wife's phone go off, seeing her move over to grab it from her back pocket and answer it from the other side of the backyard. Boomerang and Croc were talking together as June and playing with Mary and I could hear Mary giggling. I was smiling, feeling as though this was some kind of kick pack like I would have back in the day. When I eyes went back to Rose, I saw something shift in her, her face dropping a bit now as she was listening to whatever was on the phone. Something was wrong, I could see it there now, and it was making her almost on the brink of tears. I panicked, wondering what she was hearing on the phone and who she was talking to that was making me almost curve into her own ball of sadness.

Someone was telling her that she didn't want to hear.

"Chato, what—" I moved away from the boys now, walking across the lawn there over to Rose as I was about to give whoever was on the other end of the phone a piece of my mind. She wasn't happy. I could see it as we were locking eyes with one another and she saw me looking right at her, wondering what was going on.

"Rose," I said to her now, seeing her instantly hand the phone over to me, as if her tongue was stuck in her mouth and not able to say anything at all now. I moved away from her, getting the phone to my ear now as Rose stayed quiet.

"Who is this?" I asked into the phone, trying to keep my voice in control.

"It's Waller. I thought I was talking to Rose for a second there," Waller said into the phone. Her voice was still low and almost deep, like a poison and I cringed a bit, shifting in my stance.

"Yeah, well when my wife's on the brink of tears I feel like I have to step in," I said back to her calmly, seeing that the others in the background were getting the wind about what was going on now, "What were you tellin' her?"

"It's confidential," Waller said simply.

"Since when is anything with you confidential these days, Waller?" I asked her, looking over at Rose again. Boomerang and Croc were talking to her now in low tones as June was picking up Mary in her arms, seeing my distress there on my face.

"What's wrong, Aunty June?" Mary asked her now as June walked her over to Deadshot and Flag.

"What did you say to her?" I asked her again, keeping my voice down now since I was so close to destroying that phone there in my hands because of the thought of Waller making my own wife go into tears within seconds.

"I was giving her information…about her father," I took in a small breath there, the other sore spot in Rose's life was her own father that we thougth we already left behind and left for dead. But apparently not, having me look over and look eyes with my wife as she was watching me, already shaken up as the next sentence that came through the phone stopped everything.

"He escaped."

Shit.

Who in their right mind would let someone like him back out onto the street? Who was behind this, really behind this? It made me mad, the fist that I was making at my side there was about to be set on fire from the rage that I was feeling there. He was out from prison, out there in the world, and we had no idea where he was and what he was doing. I wanted to have the fire take over all of me, the anger that I was feeling not just for the fact that the bastard was out in general, but that my wife was once again shaken up my her past that she wanted to leave behind.

"You decide to call her and drop her this? Why not let her go out to the prison and let her know," I said in almost a growl now as I was trying to so hard to keep it together. Since Rose was now feeling shaken and unhinged, it was my turn to take care of her and protect her from what was going on.

"Chato, listen to me…" She said into the receiver, but I was cutting her off now.

"No, you listen. You say you're still going to keep tabs on Rose, yeah?" I asked her, the others were picking up on what I was saying and no one moved. I didn't care, I had to think about Rose and what was best for her, Rose and Mary.

"You know I will," Waller replied calmly.

"So, you make sure that bastard doesn't get anywhere near my family, not even in the same city. I don't want him anywhere near her, and I'll be damned if he finds his way back to Rose and messes things up for her as if he already hasn't before," I was letting her have it, mostly because she knew what the guy did to Rose. I would beat him to a pulp if I could, and sometimes I wish I could.

"You think I would let that happen to Rose?" She asked me now, sensing my anger there in my tone as I was talking to her, more like a scolding than anything.

"You really want me to answer that?" I asked her back in a challenging manner, hearing nothing on the other end there for a moment or two. She was thinking about it, I knew she was as I looked down at my fist at my side, being that it was still in flames. No, this is not what I wanted to do, not in front of my friends there, not in front of my daughter. Thankfully, she was at an angle that couldn't see it, so I placed the flame out when Waller spoke again.

"I'm keeping an eye out for him. He won't come anywhere near you and your family," Waller reassured me, having me look over at Rose now. She looked a bit better, breathing there next to Croc who had a hand there on her shoulder and Boomerang was staying rather close to her now in a protective manner.

"Waller..." I trailed off, trying to find the right and calm words there and not blow up.

"Chato," She said to me, her voice was reassuring instead of demanding, "He's not going to find you. I will make sure of that." I had to breathe out and rely on her words, which was better said than done. I closed the phone then, hearing the click go off now as I breathed out slowly to calm myself down and not freak out again. I knew that if I could, I would find the guy myself and end him. But it wasn't the case, I had Rose and our daughter to take care of.

I looked over to the group now, all of them there watching me. All except June and Mary, having me see June talking to Mary and distracting her inside the house. I was glad she did that, my daughter shouldn't be around for something like this and I saw Rose breathing in and out, almost in a shaky manner. It made me move without thinking, getting over to her and engulfing her in my arms.

She was shaken up, which was not like Rose at all because she was so strong. I hugged her tighter, in hopes that she knew that I had her and was not going to let her take this whole thing and let it haunt her.

"He's not gonna get to you," I looked over at Deadshot now, seeing him give me a serious stare that he would give when he had something on his mind. He heard, they all heard, what I said to Waller now and they saw my anger. I didn't realize it until he spoke again,"That guy's not going to come anywhere near you three."

"Yeah, we'll make sure of that," Boomerang said in agreement to me now next to me as I rubbed Rose's back in encouragement. I could see Croc growl in agreement and Flag nodding his head in silence, having me feel another shift within my chest there from seeing that from the others. It almost felt like we were in our own gang, looking after one another when someone would try and hurt one of us. I knew what that was like in the past, in my old life to have guys to back you up and to have your back.

But instead of regular guys down the street, I had villains and powerhouses.

* * *

"She asleep?" Rose asked me as I walked out from her room, back into our room and seeing her already in her own PJ's. After the team left and headed back over to the prison, Rose and I had more time with Mary and got her to go to bed earlier than usual, but the previous argument with Waller on the phone was still weighing on my mind. It was really weighing on me, even with the promise that Waller and the rest of the guys gave me. But still…it was daunting.

"Yeah, she was wiped from the whole reunion with the others. But she was happy to see them," She replied to me with a softness there in her tone. I walked over to the bed, sitting on the edge there and watching her as she was looking at herself in the mirror, almost drinking herself in. I watched her as well, thinking that she was beyond beautiful from where I was standing. I knew she was no skinny girl, but she was a girl that could turn heads for sure. She turned my head back when I barely knew her, and she was still turning my head now from time to time.

I moved up from the bed, walking over to her slowly now as she was just watching herself, almost like she was lost in a train of thought there within her own mind and I stood behind her, trying to think of what to tell her since she was still thinking about the phone call, thinking of him.

Damn him.

"Rose…" I started with her, seeing her take a shaky breath.

"He's going to find us, isn't he?" I knew it would get to her, no matter how long it's been since we told him to not find us some years ago in that prison in Florida. I knew she was strong, but the strongest people could easily break within a moment from one incident or one person. This was that incident, and it pained me for not being able to fix it quick with her. I took my own breath, reaching out to her and touching her skin there along her arm.

"He won't find us, _mi amor_ ," I said to her in reassurance now, seeing her look at me through the reflection of the mirror there, her scar there on her face was enough for me to remind her of what she was, not who she used to me.

"How can you be sure?" She asked me as I pressed forward a bit more and wrapped my arms around her from behind.

"Because I know we have a whole goddamn squad of villains that would kill him before he'll find us," I promised her, hoping that she heard the truth there in my tone and she looked a bit better from the notion. She moved to manuver and turn to face me in her arms, being this close to her was taking my breath away once again now. It was like that dream I had, the both of us being normal in that club and nothing touching us. It felt like the same thing again as she reached up and touched my tattoos there on my face, almost like she was mapping them out there with delicacy. There were times that I thought of her as more than a mystery for me to solve, even after being married to her and having our daughter to her.

I was still discovering her.

"I love you," She said simply to me as if the conversation was all done and over with. I just leaned down to touch our foreheads together, a gesture we would do every once in awhile since we started dating. It was one of those things we did in front of the squad so they wouldn't know we were dating, a simple act that was enough for us to share with one another. I would still do it since it was such a grounding thing for me to do and to feel.

I was not going to trade this with anything or anyone else in the world. Leaning in to press my lips against her, I felt her mold against me and kiss me back softly, having me pick her up with ease and feel her wrap her legs around me, almost giggling against my lips from the antic and I grinned through another kiss. Walking the both of us over to the bed, I got the both of us settled there within the blankets and the pillows. She was straddling me there on my lap, looking down at me and the warmth as back there on her face and in her skin as I grinned up at her.

"I love you more," I promised, seeing her shake her head and her hair flying in front of her.

"Not possible," She teased, having me reach up to move some of her hair from her eyes, "You know, Mary wants to know if she's going to get a baby brother or sister,"

"Oh really?" I asked her with a raised eyebrow, seeing that hint of a tease there in her voice and seeing it on her face. I leaned up to press myself closer to her, making it impossible to not be away from her now as I watched her closely, "You sayin' we should try?"

"I'm not saying a single word, _Chere_." She said with a grin, leaning down to kiss me there within our bed. Nothing else mattered and I didn't care what the future was going to hold for the both of us. It was the thing of the past, and I was going to hold onto the future with both hands.

All because of my _diamante._

* * *

Author's Note:

The two songs that I used in this story were called Black Sheep by the Evil Exes and Good Grief from Bastille!

If you haven't read my prvious story, As Tough as a Diamond, please go read it! Leave a review and lots of love!


	2. Chapter 2

"This was your old house, daddy?"

"Yeah, yeah it was."

Rose clutched my hand there as I was holding Mary close to me and we were standing in front of what looked like to be my old house in Los Angeles. There was barely anything there, having me instantly rethink what I did back then in the past. They left it an empty lot, nothing was left as we were standing in front of the place in the war hot sun of California. At first, this seemed like a stupid and morbid idea. But then again, I had to have some kind of closure about what happened to me and what I did. Rose was cautious about it, thinking that this too was a bad idea.

But I had to go back.

There were weeds there, growing along the outlines of where my house used to be. It brought back so many memories of being the villain in that house, mostly bad and hazy memories. I could remember where the living room used to be, how the stairs would creak under my footsteps and where the paint was chipped along the corners near the bedroom. It was all flooding me, like a plague there as I was looking at the ghost of my old house my old life.

"Chato," Rose said to me in a hesitant manner, seeing the look on my own face and how I was seeing the flames there, all of those flames and all of the screaming that I endured for hours on end after it happened.

" _Estoy bien,_ " I said to her in a hesitant way, thinking that I saw the ghost of my old family there,w watching me and looking at me with their wide and beautiful eyes. It was still a dull pain, but that was something that I was going to be stuck with for a long time whether I was ready for it or not. This was what that was needed for me, to know that my life was going to move forward, that the redemption that I wanted and the new peace of mind that was needed.

" _Sé que eres,_ " She replied back smoothly to me, which made me finally look away from the lot there and over at her. Over the loud sounds of the city around us with the cars rolling by and the sirens in the distance. I was tuning it all out from just focusing on her, seeing her look at me as someone who was supportive not as someone who was going to scold me for doing something this stupid. I knew she would scold me for doing something that would be dangerous, but not this. This wasn't dangerous.

This, in both of our minds, was healing.

"Come on, let's get out of here," I said to the both of them now as I rearranged the hold that I had on Mary there.

"Daddy, why isn't there a house there?" Mary asked me now in wonder as we were walking away from the place, and in my hopes, for the rest of our lives.

"Because the house burned down," I replied to her soothingly, thinking that I was about to open a Pandora's box from just hearing her ask such simple and yet digging questions.

"Why?" She asked, having me try to find the right words, yet again thinking that I was about to tread over troubled waters there. But Rose was the one that spoke up then, reaching over to touch the loose strains of our daughter's hair with elegance and grace there.

"Sometimes accidents happen, _ma douce_." She explained to her with her wide words and soothing tone, having me look over at her now and see her watch our daughter, "Accidents are things that we cannot control, remember?"

"Yes momma," She replied to her now, having me look at my wife there and see her smile at me, showing me wit her eyes that she knew what happened and how she knew where I was with that. We both had burdens from the past, houses that we both wanted to run down or had no choice but to burn down because of what we were capable of. We both were reminded that accidents were bound to be in our lives, and those accidents were the reason why we were there in the first place.

We walked along the sidewalk there, the three of us and not looking back to the tombstone of a past that I had there, the sun shining down there and giving me the memory of the heat there in Los Angeles. It was far different from how I remembered it, different compared to the new home that we were in, but it was also the same.

"How about we get some ice cream, eh?" I asked Mary now as she was watching the houses that we were passing by, seeing her face light up from the notion, "I know a great joint down the street and around the corner that has the best kind."

"You do?" Rose asked me, having me look over at her with a twinkle in my own eye there as she was watching me in interest.

"Yeah I do. I know the hookups around here," I reminded her, seeing her shake her head with a chuckle there as we turned the corner and walked down the street a bit.

"What about that gangs here? Will they remember you?" She asked me, having me realize what she was talking about within a few seconds. I had a gang life there, back in the days and with who I rolled with. Would they still be here? Would they know me if they saw me? I was a terror on the streets, making my name there and having people be afraid of me. It was like what I told Rose when we barely knew each other, back when we were in MidCity.

I was a monster.

"We'll be fine," I reassured her, our laced fingers together there between us as I was going to look bright and optimistic about things. I had to, there was no other way for me to see things now at this point. I didn't mind the ghosts anymore, nor did I mind that I was going to see those faces over and over again. All that mattered at this point was how I was going to go on with this new life that I had.

* * *

Rose's POV

There were three knocks there at the door, having me look up from my spot there at the coffee table where I was looking over some of the papers that were sprawled out there on the table, the sim sunset there along the high pine trees. Chato was showering, and Mary was out cold with one of her naps as I got up from the coffee table there. The headline read, "New Metahuman Deaths Appear in Gotham City."

I opened the door, seeing nothing more than the famous Harley Quinn there. She was sporting another one of her flashy outfits, but it was still not as flashy as the one she wore when we went on our first mission together. I grinned at her now as she stood outside the doorway with the warmth about her that I was missing for quite some time.

"Heya doll face," She said to me with a wicked grin that she would always have, and I smiled back at her.

"Hello Harley," I said back, moving out of the way for her to walk in and look at the house in all its glory. This may not be her scene, but the way she was showing on her face, I could be wrong. She was just downright supportive.

"So, a little birdie told me that you got a call the other day," She said to me now as she nonchalantly walked over to the kitchen area, her eyes twinkling there in what she had in her eyes. I watched her carefully, wondering how she knew that I got a phone call. But then again, she was still tight with some of the others in the Squad, not just Chato and I.

"Who told you?" I asked her, trying to sound casual about it, but it was creeping up behind me like a breath against the skin.

"Would you hate me if I told ya?" She asked me, looking over her shoulder at me now as I stood still, not saying a word about it as she looked ahead again now and went on with her inspection of the house since the last time she was here, "Waller's goin' to be up her own ass with the whole situation."

"Sounds like her anyhow," I commented, seeing her stop and then turn to face me again, giving me one of her serious stares that I would rarely see on her face. She was no longer seeing it as a joke, something was up.

"You heard where the guy is yet?" She asked me, having me stay still there in the middle of the living room and she did the same. We were keeping our voices low, since I knew that any time Chato would be getting out of the shower and I didn't want him to walk into me talking about this, not like this anyhow.

"No idea. Only that he escaped," I replied smoothly there without blinking or showing any kind od emotion there.

"Yeah well, he ain't the only one that did," Harley explained in a low tone, now having me look at her in confusion now as she then walked over to the coffee table and looked down at the newspaper there, seeing the headlines herself, "Apparently there's been a spring in the prisons."

"A spring?" I asked her now, seeing her watch me carefully and I could see that she was about to tell me something that I was not going to like to hear.

"There's been talk, since the spring of some of these guys from prison, Metahumans are dyin', left and right," She explained to me, walking away from the coffee table now, "At first, it was just a few here and there, but now we have a whole bunch being killed in the middle of the night."

"Is it the sprung prisoners?" I asked her in a low tone, listening to the shower upstairs going off. Chato was getting out of the shower. Damnit.

"No one knows. They're a great suspect, but I doubt it," Harley went on, having me wonder how many more seconds until Chato would come down the stairs and join our conversation, "Mr. J is lookin' into it himself, since it's bad for business on his end."

"So you came to tell me that?" I asked her, not wanting to sound rude about it, but there had to be more of a reason as to why she was there at our house in the first place. She grinned again, the seriousness was long gone from her face now as she shook her head and walked over to me.

"Naw, silly! I came to see my little angel of a Goddaughter!" She replied, not telling me the whole truth. She wasn't going to tell me, I knew that, and she was going to tell me with an underline there in her tone and in her eyes. She knew what I was asking of her, and she was telling me without saying the words.

Yes, be warned and be careful.

"Harley?" We both looked over to the stairs now, seeing none other than Chato there at the top of the stairs in his clothes, looking at the both of us. I said nothing, watching him there drink in the sight as Harley squealed in delight and waltzed over to him as he descended to the last step there on the ground. They both hugged, though over Harley's shoulder Chato eyed, silently asking with his eyes what was going on.

"Good to see ya, flame boy! How goes it, living the normal life?" She asked him with a batting of her eyebrows once they pulled away from one another and they were talking together.

"Just fine, Quinn," Chato replied to her with his low tone, the small smile back on his face again from seeing his old friend, "You came here to see Mary didn't you?"

"Oh come on now, I came to see both you and Rosie!" She teased him back, thinking to herself for a moment or two before she spoke up again with her coy manner, "But then again, now that you mentioned it,"

"She's about to wake up, you wanna see her?" He asked her now, pointing to the stairs.

"Naw, I'll surprise her down here. Don't wanna scare her with my new look," Harley said with a grin now as Chato nodded in agreement and I moved over to where the steps were.

"I'll go get her awake," I said to Harley now as I passed the both of them over to the stairs, seeing Harley move away from Chato now and looking at the pictures there on the wall, her head tilted to the side as she looked at our photos and Chato looked over at me. He knew that we were talking about something, I could see it there on his face that he was picking up something that was not said just yet. I just looked at him, silently telling him that something was up and we both should be concerned. I didn't want to walk about in front of Harley, that would be too much, and since Mary wanted to see her, I didn't want to spoil that.

"Can I have hair like yours?" Mary asked Harley now as they were coloring together at the kitchen table, Chato and I were watching her as Harley thought to herself for a second or two, as if she was playing a game with the little one.

"I'll do your hair for you when you're old enough, how about that," She replied back to Mary, who giggled from the attic as she grabbed her pink marker and Harley grabbing a light blue one, "Besides, this does bad stuff to your hair. Trust me, keep your hair the way it is, it's pretty like your mom's hair."

"You're so thoughtful,"I joked with her now as she poked her tongue out at me, Mary doing the same and Harley looking at her in a mocked shocked manner.

"Mind your P's and Q's!" She said to Mary now as she then looked over at Chato, "You finding something that's keepin' you occupied?"

"You know me, Quinn," Chato replied from his spot next to me, "I'm doin' good at the chop shop down the street a bit. The guys there are cool,"

"Didn't think you were a chopper kind of guy anyhow," Harley joked as she motioned her head over at me, "At least your wife here has a decent job.

"Hey, working at a joint flower shop and bookstore that's a hole in the wall is not really a great job," I reasoned with her.

"But it fits ya. I think you guys can fit into the concept of normal a bit better than I thought," She explained, making em remember that sentence that she gave both Chato and me when we were back in MidCiy, a sense of confession there in the bar after getting the low blow from Flag himself.

"You just wait until we are able to have a car payment and have soccer practices," Chato reasoned with her now as Mary was lost in her own world of coloring and thinking to herself now, the same way that she would act about anything, which is why I love her.

"So, when are we gonna have a reunion with the rest of the gang?" Harley asked out of the blue, going back to her coloring as both Chato and I were looking at each other. Was that the best choice? Since things were about to blow up all over the news with Metahumans dying at the hands of whoever it was, and not to mention my own father being sprung out by someone, or some group maybe. I wondered what was going on in her head, really going on in her head from time to time. She was a good person, I had that sense still in my own mind, but then again something could be off in her own head from all that she went through with The Joker.

"We'll find a date," I reassured her, almost feeding her what she wants to hear now as Chato looked over at me now. He could see what I was doing, keeping my face calm and collective as he did the same, the both of us knowing in agreement that we were going to have to workout out.

* * *

That night felt off to me, very off when I went to sleep late that night. After Harley left us for the night, Chato and I were still feeling on what she told us. Everything that was happening in the news and with others likes us being hunted down was playing over and over in my head. Was it going to effect us? What about our life that we were trying put together?

I could hear something creak underneath a foot maybe, having me wake up then and look dead ahead at the wall, hoping that I was hearing something else and not what I thought it was. It was heard again, and I instantly looked over at the door that we left cracked open on purpose for the sake of Mary and if she had a nightmare. But I knew her footsteps, they were small and delicate. These ones that I was hearing, they were large and heavy.

Someone was in our house.


	3. Chapter 3

I moved out of the bed in an instant, landing onto the hardwood floor without making a sound, hearing some more footsteps there within the hallway, sounding to deep to be a child and too cautious to be anything else that would be friendly. I stayed still, next to the bed and crouched down to the floor, trying to think of who or what it might be. But once I got it through to my own head, I heard rustling up near the bed as well, having me look to see Chato.

He was crouched down. He knew too.

We both locked eyes with one another, not saying a word as I pointed to the door. Chato nodded his head, the pair of us tiptoeing over to the door there and staying on either side and waiting to hear anything else that could pop up. I felt something on the tips of my fingers against the wall near one of our closest, having me look to see it was Harley's bat that she age me when she escaped the prison. I grasped it, thinking that it was better to have more than one weapon in case something went south.

For once I heard nothing, not at first now since it was fearing me that they were there in the middle of the night. Someone was in here, to do what? I personally wanted to know, but it felt like that was not going to be part of the plan. For now, we were just going to have to get over the thought of being normal, and going back to being villains again.

At least, being metahumans.

The footsteps were moving away from us, down the hallway and over to what seemed to be Mary's Room. That made me panic, having me look over at Chato now and in hopes that he was thinking the same thing. We had to get over to Mary, to somehow get her out of this scenario and fast. She was in trouble, and neither one of us are going to let a single thing happen to her.

Chato held up his finger to his lips, silently telling me not to make a sound as I reached over to grab the door handle and move it open slowly. It made no noise, which was perfect for me now as I watched and saw nothing there, no one. Whoever it was moved out of sight and the both of us instantly thought of Mary in her room. We had to move and fast. I started, fast walking and staying low to the ground and keeping my hand against the wall there as a stable balance and my other hand wielding the baseball bat with Chato doing the same behind me. It was like we were secrets agents there on a mission and nothing else was going to be in the way of our goal which was in this case, was Mary.

Whoever it was, they were not going to touch her.

We rounded the corner, seeing a shadow there against the wall and the door to Mary's room popped open a bit, of course from us but it still felt off as we were staying still there against the wall in hopes that we both were going to fulfill some kind of plan in order to do whatever we were going to do. I had to think, think real hard since it could be messy, and I haven't done something like this in years. Not since I had Mary and wanted to have that all behind me in an instant. But I saw something move there, swiftly and in ease, inside Mary's room. I knew then that a plan was not going to work.

Get them out.

Chato moved first, moving past me and creeping over to the side of the door and looking in a bit. I wondered what he was seeing, but then again if I saw what was in there I would have flipped and killed someone from being that close to our daughter. Chato didn't move an inch, just drinking in what he was seeing and he then had one of his hands at his side light up slowly. He saw something he didn't like, I could feel it and see it in his stance. I moved over there too now, standing near him and feeling the hear of his lit hand there against my own. It made me morph into my diamond form, only in my hands as I could hear some more shuffling going in and out there in the room.

I looked over at Chato again, this time showing him a desperate look to just get in there and stop whoever it was that was close to Mary. He could see it on my face nodding in agreement as he peered inside and I moved past him to go inside, not thinking about it really. Sure it was a stupid, and maybe even close to suicidal, but this was involving my daughter and someone was close enough to kill her. That's all that I was thinking about, and that's all I wanted to stop.

I saw the darkness of the room, the only course of light was Mary's nightlight that she needed for her nightmares and that showed the silhouette of the person there that was hovering over our daughter. Mary was asleep, not hearing anything now as the figure there was so close to touching there that it made me react and move without realizing it. I grabbed the back of his jacket that he was wearing, throwing him away from Mary and over to the wall in a heap and in a loud crash. He was about to bounce off the wall there when I slammed the baseball bat against his face to try and knock him out. He fell to the floor, Mary blinking awake from the sound. She looked at me, her eyes going wide now as to now knowing what was going on.

"Mommy?" She asked as the figure got up and threw out a gun in his hand, pointing to the both of us. Mary screamed out as Chato ran into the room and dived into the man to crash him on the floor in almost a wrestling match. I ran over to scoop my Mary in my arms, hearing him whimper in my neck there as she clung to me in a vice grip and I dodged the chaos out of the room. A gunshot rang out, two of the bullets almost hitting me.

"Close your eyes for me, honey," I whispered to her now as I could feel and hear a wave of fire from the room now, the man screaming out as he was thrown into the wall in a heap and fell down unconscious. I was about to hit the stairs there where another figure was coming up, he too had a gun in his hand. I had a split chance as I morphed my back into a diamond form and whirled around in time for the gunfire to explode and hit my back at a rapid pace, over and over again now. The bullets, as always bounced off and hit the floor now as I cradled Mary close to have her avoid the bullets that could hit her, feeling her tremble there in my arms now as my anger was now getting the best of me, if not the worst.

The sound was deafening, having me stay still now as I was trying to make sure Mary was not going to be hit. As soon as I saw there was an opening for me, I threw out one hand behind me to hit the man there in hopes that he would back off. I heard nothing else, the firing was done and it brought back from silence there now as I paused, thinking that he was waiting for another moment. I looked over my shoulder, seeing the man on the floor with some of my diamond shards there poking out of his chest. He was dead.

Bullet holes were all over the walls, having me realize that even our home was not even safe. I got up then, hearing another round if fighting behind me where Chato was and I panicked. A part of me wanted to help him, but I was still holding our daughter and trying to keep her safe. I had to think about Mary, whom must be having some kind of panic attack there in my arms since she had no idea what was going on.

"Come on, baby," I said to her, walking down the stairs and over to the backyard where I thought it would be safer. I could see movement outside in the front where our driveway was, having me realize that there were more and I wanted to get out of there and being in more trouble.

The air was beyond cool outside, Mary was not started to sniffle here and there now as I rubbed her back, my hand was back to normal now as I was trying to warm her up and calm her down at the same time. I felt terrible, beyond terrible for what we were doing to her.

"It's okay, it's okay now, baby," I reassured her over and over again now as she was holding onto me so tight that I thought I could lose my breath. But at that point, I needed her to know that she was going to be alright. Something broke upstairs on the second floor, having me look up there in a panic. Where was Chato? Was he okay? I looked in every window there to see if I could get some kind of sign as to where and what he was doing. There was another round of what sounded like fighting and grunting back and forth between two people, and it made me freeze there with Mary in my arms, rubbing her back more and more now.

Suddenly, an explosion broke out on the second floor, fire bursting through the windows there and having the area almost be engulfed in the flames there. It made me take a few steps back now from both the intensity of the blast and in fear, one of the windows shattering out and someone flying out in a heap of what looks like an unconscious person, hitting the ground like a sack of potatoes, not moving an inch. Flames were poking out from the top of the house, having me then hear screeching tires outside the house over around in the front.

Whoever it was, they left.

I stayed there, seeing the house go up in flames slowly but surely as it was now all hitting me: we were no longer safe. It was a sad fact for me to drink in and to realize that no matter what we were going to do, Chato and I were not going to have the life that we thought we deserved. It felt bitter on my tongue, a sinking feeling in my chest and a dullness there in my head as someone was walking out from the house, a dark figure there and I looked to see if it was another one of those goons that tried to get us. With the spare hand that was not wrapped around Mary, I threw out my hand at the figure, the diamond form taking over and waiting for the first strike. I was no longer thinking of the rational ways, I was more on the protected side. But once the figure came into the light, I sighed in relief and placed my hand down.

Chato walked over, a bit ruffed up in some parts of his body, but looking out of breath and relieved at the same time now as he walked over to the pair of us. He looked like he was drinking in what happened, almost like he was in shock himself as he then got close enough to me to wrap an arm around me, pulling both Mary and I close enough to almost feel protected. He smiled of fire, hot fire there as I could still feel some of the heat there on his skin, beyond glad that he was okay and nothing was wrong with him.

"We're okay," He reminded me, having me silently nod my head now as Mary reached over to him without a second thought to it. He took her in his own arms and snuggled into her close, almost needed that security that only Mary could give to him. I moved away from the both of them now, seeing the house that we lived in for some time slowly go into flames and I looked back at Chato, millions of questions were filling my head then and I wanted to know, first and foremost.

What was going on?

* * *

"Come on in," Flag said to the three of us there as we moved into his small apartment of a place. It was still in the wee hours of the morning, Mary was fast asleep in my arms there as we walked into the room and he closed the door behind us.

"Were you followed?" He asked the both of us, June walking out from one of her rooms in the back and over to Mary.

"No, we checked," I replied back to him carefully now as June looked over at me. She had a kind face about her, in which I knew that Flag cared for her plenty when she was possessed by the witch some time ago on our first mission.

"Let me take her. I made a bed up for her in the back," She reassured me, holding out her hands for me. She was great with Mary, a kind soul, and a big smile took Mary a long way when they first met when Mary was very young. I leaned over to kiss her head, feeling the warmth there in her arms before I passed her over to June carefully. June cradled her close, taking her to the back room and I suddenly felt vulnerable and open without her. I breathed out slowly, looking back at Chato now as he was talking with Flag.

"You don't know who it was?" Flag asked as he walked over to his laptop, getting in the seat there and tapping away there with his fingers.

"We had no clue," Chato explained, looking over at me slowly and I shook my head, "I have a feelin' it's one of those guys or groups that've been whacking off Metahumans."

"But how do they know where to find you?" Flag asked the both of us.

"We haven't done a thing to show that we're metahumans. So someone knew where we lived, or found us," I explained to him now, thinking back to any time that I had some kind of clue as to who it was. Nothing was popping up in my head, no red flag that I should have been earlier. But then I thought about someone, something that made me cringe there as I looked at both Flag and Chato now. I didn't want to say it, I really didn't want to, but it felt like there was no real substitute for it. It made sense, but it was heartbreaking at the same time.

"Harley came to visit earlier yesterday," I said to them in a low tone, realizing it slowly in my head now as I was trying to piece it all together and make sure it made sense in my own head. They both were thinking about it too, but Chato was the one who shook his head.

"She wouldn't do that, not to us," he said to me as a reminder. He knew Harley well, as well as I. We both knew that she was loyal to us, very loyal, but there was still the underline that I knew was drawn. Her own loyalty to a certain criminal.

"If not her, then maybe someone bugged her," I said to him in caution, seeing him think to himself now as Flag thought about it too. Someone sell must have done it, with or without Harley knowing. She did seem not like herself when she came to visit as if something was on the back of her mind when she told me that metahumans were disappearing and dying at the hands of mystery people. But was she saying it like a warning, to get out while we still could? Was that why she was there, not just a visit for Mary? Why did I see it before?

"She was warning us," Chato said slowly now, realizing what I was saying and thinking at the same time. It was painful that we didn't see it sooner, but then again we had some kind of warning before. But I shook my head.

"She wouldn't do that to us, not to Mary. She loves her too much," I reminded him now as he knew it was true. Harley wouldn't anything happen to our daughter as if Mary was her own child herself. So who was it then that came to find us, and if Harley was bugged, who bugged her? I just thought back to the infamous criminal there that I knew tried to rope me in once but failed to do so. Maybe this was his way to show what power he had and what kind of person he was in general.

The Joker.

"Waller's going to find out about this soon enough, and you're going to have to answer to her if you can," Flag advised the both of us now as I was thinking back to the moment at hand. I didn't want to deal with Waller, and I knew Chato didn't want to either, "It's best for the three of us to stick with her, for now."

"You crazy?" Chato asked him now, not in an angry way but in a confused manner.

"Look, if there are people out there killing off metahumans, and you guys barely made it out alive, Waller's going to have to have some kind of protection on the both of us until we can figure out how to stop this from getting worse. " Flag explained, having me think about and know that it was true. Waller knew how to hold people close in her grasp, she could play that field if she wanted. We had no sense of security for the both of us since we were very close to losing our lives back there in our old home. Plus, it was very safe to say that Waller was still keeping tabs on me.

We had no choice but to go back to Waller. Back to the Squad.


	4. Chapter 4

"There's been about 50% increase of metahumans death in this month, alone. This shouldn't be such a big shock, but since it happened to one of our own, we have to be on the look out for whoever is involved," Flag explained as he was looking through some of the articles that came up on his computer. We were now back at the prison, that last place that I wanted to be at since we were not to go back there. But now we had no real choice or no real place to go back to, and this was our last resort.

Great.

"The government's been trying to find out who's behind this. All we know, is that there are guys who are killing them off are masked, nothing leaving a trail behind them, and they are quick. They don't make it a bloodbath, they make it more…theatrical."

"What does that mean?" Boomerang asked as he looked at Flag in a confusing way now, not getting what he was saying. Flag eyed him, then sighed and rubbing his face with a hint of agitation there.

"They made the deaths look pretty," Deadshot explained to him now under his breath as I watched the clips that he was bringing up for us to look at. I could see the innocent victims faces there on the screen, regular people who were trying to have the normal sense of life. They looked both old and young, innocent and almost like someone you would see walking down the street. But now…now thy were dead. They were robbed, and it reminded me of what happened to me some years ago…back with that doctor and what he did to me. It gave a chill.

"Whoever is doin' this know what's he doin'," Deadshot said to all of us now, in which that was true. They knew who to orchestrate this and do it well, it wasn't messy and leaving any kind of trails behind them. It meant that it was going to be downright impossible to find them, or at least get any kind of leads on them.

"How are we gonna do this?" Boomerang asked Flag, but we all heard the double doors behind us opening and we all looked to see Waller walking through, the looked of determination and fierceness was etched on her face. I instantly felt as though we made a bad decision to come here and rely on her, waiting for some kind of schooling bomb to go off now. Chato stayed next to me, too close to me now as we were watching her to over to our group.

"We are going to hit them before they strike on another group of innocent people," She said as an answer to Boomerang, who looked at her in a hit go shock but then slowly nodded his head as if it was a regular conversation. She looked over at Chato and me then, having me stay still then and wonder what she as going to say to us. The last we heard from her, Chato chewed her out for calling me and telling me about my father and his escape from prison. So it was safe to say we weren't on speaking terms with her.

"You two are under our care and protection until we can figure this out, and make sure you and your family are safe," She reassured the both of us, the serious look on her face was almost too much for me to look at directly. I wanted to avert my eyes and not look right at her, sensing that I was being watched under the microscope. She looked away, finally after what felt like long minutes, and was back focusing on the group.

"The Pentagon wants this group to be found and dealt with. With the amount of police force that we have, they are no match for this group and the mass killings. We cannot afford to have more of a chaos there in the news and out on the streets, or we could be looking at a civil war between humans and metahumans." She explained in her stern manner, "They asked us to take care of this radical group."

"With what, our guns? What if these guys are metahumans themselves? We don't know who it is." Deadshot explained to her in his cold manner now as I saw Flag looking over at me now, signaling for me to not say a word. After our talk about the thought of Harley being involved with her crew, or even was bugged from one of her henchmen, we decided not to mention it to Waller or the rest of the Squad. it would be too much, and even getting a target on Harley's back thanks to Waller herself. None of us wanted that for her, we still saw her as one of us.

"We're going to go in as we always do," Waller paused, looking at both Chato and me now as if we were about to be placed in the spotlight, "If you're willing, you can help us."

Great, she wanted us back.

All of the group looked at the both of us now, having me bit my lip and gaze over at my husband there. What did he want to do? He knew that he was going to be loyal to the squad themselves, he would do anything for them as they would do anything for him. I was in the same boat, I would help them if I could since they were accepting of me from the moment they met me on our first mission. But there was just one problem, and she was looking right at us.

Goddamn, Waller.

* * *

"I understand that you're not wanting to dive back into something like this," Waller explained to the both of us, the three of us meeting there in the room as the others left us there to talk to her about what we were going to go. I was looking away from her now, looking at the wall and trying to get my own head wrapped around the decision as Chato was watching her as he was leaning against her desk, arms folded in front of him as his defense mechanism. I knew he was thinking real hard about it too, more on the reluctant side since he was no fan of her either. At least we had that in common.

"You're not prisoners, so I can't force you into doin' something like this," Waller explained to us as Chato scoffed at her softly.

"You wish you could, don't ya?" He asked her now in his low tone, already agitated with her and I felt as tough I should step in, but I didn't. I wanted to hear more without being involved.

"It's not like that, Chato," She said back to him smoothly, having me look over at him briefly now and see him look more pissed at how she was using his name.

"Why should we help you, after that shit, you did to us after we left this prison?" He asked her now, having me feel like he was about to start some kind of fight with her. I knew he wanted to, it was the overbearing feelings of anger and hate he had for her, for what she did to him as a prisoner and used him like a chess piece. She did the same for me too, and that added fuel to the fire for him now.

"Because I'm still willing to help you both," She replied smoothly.

"Well, that's reassuring," I sighed when he almost snapped at her now as I finally moved over to at least talk to him and get him to calm down. This was not right, and I just wanted to get the hell out of there now and not look back. If this was her way saying that we were wanted again, it was not going to end well. I was about to tell him to just turn around when she dropped another bomb in one single sentence that made the both of us look right at her.

"Would you want to protect your daughter?"

She had it sound like a casual question like we were friends and nothing else mattered. We both stared right at her, saying nothing but the look on our faces there in front of her was enough to show that she was about to set off a land mine. She brought Mary into this, and now something switched in me as I felt my own diamond form coming over me within seconds, real seconds there now as my anger was getting the best for me. She was pushing it now, beyond pushing it since she brought up Mary and now I was in full defense mode.

How dare you.

"You bitch—" I was about to charge her, my hands making a fist at my sides there and Chato was about to make a flame there when Waller said one more then.

"I can protect her for you,"

I was still fuming for her bringing up Mary, and Chato was about to engulf his whole body into flames now since he too was protective of our daughter. But now she brought up another proportion, the both of us watching her now and thinking that she was just trying to either calm us down from her slip up or make it worse.

"Like hell you can," I growled at her in my diamond form now, taking a step towards her and Chato throwing out his flamed hand to stop me, knowing that I could make some kind of grand mistake in hurting her there with my bare hands.

"You know what kind of power I have, you both do," Waller explained. seeing the both of us were still sprung up tight like a coil about to be sprung free.

"And you know how powerful we are," Chato said back to her in his low growl.

"But I can make sure nothing happens to her if you help me." Waller tried to encourage the both of us, thinking that it would work. She must have been out of her mind now, thinking that we were willingly going to let her do anything around our daughter. She was bat shit.

"You honestly think that we're going to let you anywhere near her?" I asked her slowly, trying not to raise my voice and not let my rage get the best of me now. This was a touchy subject for me, and to think that she was just throwing it out there like a casual conversation was enough to make me want to throw her against the wall and see her neck snap, "You must be out of your mind."

"What other option do you have?" She asked the both of us now as I felt myself taking in a deep breath and Chato's hand still on my arm.

"It ain't gonna happen, not with you," Chato said in a stern manner, how voice was almost a growl there as he was still keeping his hands heated, Waller seeing that either one of us was going to budge about this and she stayed quiet, maybe thinking to herself now as I watched her.

"If you want to live to see next year, or even next week and make sure this threat will not touch your family, I would advise you to really think about working for me. We need you, I know we need you two. If you work for me, not only will you end this threat to your family, but I promise you with my own life, that nothing will happen to you daughter. I only offer protection and security for your service. Where else would you get something like this." Waller explained to the both of us, her voice was back to the authority mode that she had before, but she was staying so still to see our reaction. She was offering us ultimate protection for Mary if we worked with her again and got rid of this threat against the metahumans.

She needed us to find out who this person or this group was, I could tell she needed us and the original group back together minus Harley. It made me think about it for a second or so, looking over at Chato now and I saw him still keeping his stubbornness there, but the wheels were also turning in his head. I sighed, seeing Chato slowly letting go of my arm with his fiery hand and I morphed back to my human form again. It was now confusing as to which avenue that we going to have to go down because we were thinking of Mary and what was going to happen to her.

"Give us five minutes."

* * *

"You gotta be kiddin' me!"

"It wasn't my idea."

"Course it wasn't, ese. You'd rather torch the lady."

"I would too."

"Thanks, Croc,"

We were all talking together, without Waller since she was still getting things together for our upcoming fight. Croc and Katana were present there too, almost feeling like we had the whole gang back together minus the two new emerges that were apparently still too reckless to be meeting up with us. One of them, I forget which one, already beat up five of the officers and is not in solitary confinement and the others just didn't want to be involved. Not yet at least.

"So you're back with us?" Deadshot asked now in a surprised manner, looking less enthused about it as I nodded, already feeling so bitter about the decision that we both made there together.

"We had a compromise," I explained, seeing him raise his eyebrow at me.

"What would that be?" He questioned.

"Dr. June watches Mary, not Waller," Flag explained for both Chato and me, having me see that he too was both glad that Mary was under June's care, but at the expense Waller's choice. This was already getting messy and we haunt been on one mission just yet as a team. Harley may be involved, our daughter's life was being looked after by Waller without it really being her, Waller dropping both Chato and I back into the life we knew we didn't want anymore.

Goddamnit.

"She needs us apparently to catch these guys," I added to the conversation. Katana then said something to Flag now in her native tongue, in which Flag shook his head.

"Yeah I don't like it either," He said to her, seeing her give me a reassuring look that she was in the same boat as the others, not getting as to why we were there in the first place when we left the prison and left the squad.

"Still, I have a bad feelin' that Harley's up to something," Boomerang explained, all of us looking at him now as he rolled his eyes, "Come on, think about it. Since she left the prison, the Sheila's been all over the news with her boyfriend."

"She wouldn't have done that to us, though," I reminded him, "Not to Mary."

"Who else would it be then?" Boomerang asked.

"We're gonna find out," Chato said back to him calmly. There was no one else that I would think that would be doing something like this to metahumans, killing them like animals. It had to be someone powerful enough and a fierce kind of storm there, and it made me worry what kind of enemy that we were going to be dealing with in the future.

"If we're going to be doing like this, we might as well do it together," Deadshot said to the group of us, almost like we were back in the bar again in Midway City. When we thought we were going to be on the ropes when it was all so simple and yet so complicated. It always felt like he was the leader, our leader that would take us into battle without a second thought. I respected him, not Waller and how she was controlling us.

"Just like old times, eh?" Boomerang asked with a tang in his tone, almost making it like a joke for us really. It really was a joke, a group of people like us who were not even close to being heroes, not needing to be heroes again for someone that would really kill us in the end. It wasn't like the first mission when we were taking on a witch.

This time, we could be taking on an army.

* * *

We got a call of an assault happening at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, someone was starting a riot or some kind in the stadium during one of the games and it was more of a terrorist threat. Of course, we would be the ones who got the call to go in and take care of it, and it was just like told times some years ago. Just sitting the helicopter there, bringing back some memories there was enough for me to feel my stomach turning and not in the best way. I could see it on Chato's face too as he was sitting next to me, just like our first mission. When we were barely friends then, trying to find out why we were there and why we were fighting for Waller and for the sake of good. But now, we knew why we were fighting and there was no confusion about it.

We were ultimately fighting for Mary.

She was back with June at her house, who was beyond kind enough to watch her. We couldn't have thanked her enough as she was getting signs settled in for Mary, and once we kissed her goodbye, I felt as though it was breaking my own heart breaking from leaving her behind. But she was safe, and I had to repeat that in my head.

Safe and sound.

By the time we got there, half of the stadium was in flames from the assault, the smoke rising in the air in front of the backdrop of the city. There were sirens blaring as we landed the helicopter there in the main parking lot of the stadium, which was deserted and almost looked like it went through the apocalypse itself. It made me look over at the structure itself, hearing nothing from inside where I was and the police were talking to each other,r pointing in our direction. Were they afraid of us now as we were following Flag and some of his guys over to the entrance of the stadium? It had some graffiti there on the top and over the Dodger logo.

"That's just downright disrespectful," Chato said to me under his breath as we were walking over together as a group, "Nobody messes with the Dodgers. Sons of bitches."

"Let's tell 'em that when we meet them, eh ese?" Deadshot said to him now as he cocked his gun in his hand and I looked over at the policemen talking to one another under their rebates, watching us apparently. It felt almost like a joke for me to just wave at them, let alone a wink as we walked past. But I did, winking at them and seeing them look at Chato now, seeing him watch me now almost offended.

"What?" I asked him, seeing him roll his eyes, "Oh come on, I only have eyes for you."

"You better," He said in a warning, but it sounded more casual than anything as we were getting close to the front gates, all of us stopping there and seeing the graffiti there on the Logo and the name of the stadium. It was glossy and in red, almost scribbled on as we read what it said.

DOWN WITH METAHUMANS

"Well, at least they can spell," Boomerang joked as I heard Flag cocking his gun there.

"Keep your eyes open and stay on alert. We need to find the target and eliminate it with we can," Flag explained to us now as we walked in together, having me see the chaos that already happened there in the place without us being there. Pieces of equipment and furniture from the place were tossed back and forth, almost like they were rags or paper dolls. It felt like whoever this was had more firepower than what we thought they would. But I wasn't going to jump into any of those thoughts just yet, I had to remember what it was like to be on a mission, to be calm and collected at the same time.

We have turned a corner along one of the long hallways, seeing the field on our left and the kiosks there on the right, the place was eery and quiet, too quiet for me to really be comfortable with. I felt as though we were about to be attacked, and I wanted to shift into my diamond form just in case someone was going to shoot out at me. But as soon as my hands were about to shift, Flag threw out his hand to me to stop me, in which I looked at him in shock.

"Don't' shift," he warned me, then looking at Chato, "Don't use your powers, either of you just yet."

"Why not?" I asked him now, not understanding since this was what I did in the past.

"If these guys are killing metahumans, then they're gonna kill you as soon as they know what you are," He reminded me, having me know what he was saying and nodded in agreement, shifting my hands back to human form now and Chato nodding as well. Flag was trying to protect us, even while we were in the field and fighting for our own lives there.

He was warning us, watch yourselves.

"Come on," He said to the group, all of us walking a bit more and then hearing something pop off in the distance, almost like a far off gun. We all looked in the direction, seeing a few specs of people there on the field and one of them was holding a big gun, a real big one. Oh shit, it was a Bazooka, and he shot at us.

"DUCK!" Flag screamed, all of us diving out of the way now as the missile hit the kiosk behind us and having the whole place shake in the aftermath. The ruble fell around us, having me duck and cover my head there from the hit and my ears felt like they were ringing constantly. I looked up from my spot, scarves were now all over my face and arms there as the others were slowly moving too, showing me none of them were hit.

"We alive?" Deadshot asked the group now in a grumble from his spot under some of the pile.

"Yeah, I am," Boomerang answered for himself as I moved a bit up from the pile there. It felt like nothing was broken on me, and I finally saw some of those specs there on the field, seeing that we weren't dead yet. I looked over at the others, seeing them rise up from the ground now as if nothing hit them. Even Chato looked fine, giving me a hard stare as both of his hands were now being lit up again. He was not going to play quietly with this group, and he was not going to hide what he was.

Nor was I.

"Let's get theses bastards," Croc growled now, moving his hood from his head and showing his face there in the debris. I felt the same since these guys were wanting a war. They were going to get a war now as Deadshot got his gun there on his wrist out and ready. We all started moving over to the start of the descent down the stairs that would lead us to the field. The rest of the stadium here was almost disheveled from whatever those guys did, and as we were walking down the steps slowly, I could see more and more of the men there popping out from the outside of the field over to where the others were, more and more of them. They brought their own assault group there as they were waiting for us almost.

"They sent us freaks?!" One of them asked now as we were getting closer and closer, almost like they were taunting us there. They were cocky, I could see that there as the main guy was the one who said it. The others, almost looking out of it themselves, made me think that they were uneasy being there. There was no confidence there in their faces when we were approaching them, but they looked like drones.

Were they drones.

"Ya'll think we're freaks?" Deadshot asked him now, pointing at him now with his pistol on his wrist there, "What you guys are doin' is making ya'll the freaks."

"We're cleansing the world of the freaks, making it a world of superiority," He replied back to me, a younger man with cockiness about him and a hint go swagger to him as well. I had to roll my eyes to the sound of that, almost like he was so full of himself.

"Where have I heard that before?" Deadshot asked him now as the guy now aimed his bazooka at us again now, no longer having the wicked smile there on his face but now hew as looking for a fight for certain.

"Finish them!" He yelled, clicking for the nest missile to go off and some of the guys he was around started running towards us. We have been flanked by them, some going on our left and some on our right though the seats. We had to split before the next missile would hit us, and all of us ran in different directions.

I ran to the left with Croc behind me, the two of us seeing about 8 of those gonna coming after us and we collided there in the middle of the rows of seats. I had my diamond formed hands out in front of me, dodging the few attempts of them trying or maybe claw at me and I threw one over my head against the seats there,s being them being swished aside by him from the force. Croc had a handful on his hands there as I grabbed a few more and knock into each there to knock them out. I grabbed a seat that was already broken, hoisting it over my head and knocking out two more there as more and more were coming.

"Move them to the field!" I said to Croc now as he growled in agreement, one of those men jumping on his back and Croc throwing them vote this head with a jolt of his back. While we were taking care of the group there, I saw Chato using his firepower against some of the others too, in which they looked more petrified to see metahumans fighting them. It was like they were spooked by it, like a metahuman being in front of them.

We were slowly making our way to the field there, seeing less and less of those goons as we were using what we had there. It looked like it was in our favor there as if we were going to win there and as we got ourselves over to the field, I got the one goon off of me now and we were all finished with them, now having me wonder where the main guy went now. He was nowhere to be seen, in which I was confused and wondering where he went. I looked around, seeing that it was just us there on the field now. Where did he run off to?

"Where did the bastard go?" Flag asked aloud in a huff, having the rest of us look around now to see if we could find him. I could hear some more banging outside the stadium, more gunfire as some kind of helicopter was now rising up from the other side of the stadium where we couldn't see. It was rising slowly, the sirens from the polemic were going crazy now as we were watching to see what was going on.

"You metahumans working for them are making a grand mistake!"

It was the guy, and he was talking to us from his bullhorn now as they about to disappear into the sky. We all watched, beyond pissed that we didn't get to him in time now. He seemed so sure about himself there as he went on.

"Don't think we're finished with you just yet!"

Nope, they were just getting started.


	5. Chapter 5

"How's the lip?" I was looking at my own reflection there in the mirror, seeing the busted lip there from the fight we had back in Los Angeles. It was still in my head, those people that we fought and how something about them seemed off and out of it when they were fighting us. It was as if they were afraid, but they were still fighting us at the same time. it rose more questions for me, not to mention that cocky guy who had the bullhorn and was wanting to cleanse the world of Metahumans. He was already rubbing me the wrong way.

We were in a new apartment that Waller found for the both of us, and because of the sake of metahuman being hunted, She convinced us to have Mary stay with June until we got a better handle on the situation at hand. That was rough, beyond rough for both Chato and I to not have her around constantly. but we knew where she was coming from, surprisingly. She knew that we were placing Mary before everything, and she gave us her word that Mary was not going to be harmed at all while we were fighting this new threat. After we got back from the mission, we realized that we both were too beaten up to see Mary, we would have scared her.

Damn.

"It's fine," I said to him as I was in the bathroom, looking in the mirror and seeing a few bruises here and there along my skin. I never had this amount of bruising and scrapes there along my body. It made me remember that I was once again not indestructible. I was still human in some ways, and this was one of them now.

Chao walked up behind me, staying there near the doorway now into the bathroom, watching me and my reflection. He would do this from time to time, watch me as I would either work on my make up in the mirror or just watch myself there deep in thought. I wondered why he would do that, but in that moment I saw him looking back at me with a hint of concern there on his own worn face. There were scrapes there too, a few bruises along the skin and even small cuts. It made me turned around at him now, seeing the damage there on his face and along his body. I felt terrible that he had that there along his skin there, seeing him walk in a bit now as I reached over to the medicine cabinet there in the apartment to get the first aid kit out.

"Come here," I said to him now, digging in to find the stuff I need to help him. I grabbed the cotton balls and some of the antiseptic liquid to use on him and his wounds there. I looked up to see him staying a bit closer to me now, looking at my own lip there and cradling my face there within a second, having me feel his warm calloused hands there along my own skin.

"That looks nasty," He said in his low tone as he saw my own damage there. I felt him graze his thumb slightly over the damaged skin there along my lip, having me pull away from him and point to his own face now.

"You face looks worse," I said to him, "Come here and I'll clean it." He reluctantly moved over to be close to me now, our bodies almost touching completely there as I was now getting the medicine ready to dab on his face. From where I was, it felt like an awkward position and angle, so I hopped up onto the bathroom counter and now I was eye level with him, dabbing away at his cuts and bruises. He was staying so still there, inching a bit closer now as he was almost between my legs against the bathroom counter.

"Those guys back there," I said to him now as I got another cotton ball to dab in the medicine, "Something was off about them."

"What do ya mean?" He asked me now in confusion, not getting what I was saying.

"They seemed…afraid of me when I was fighting them," I explained, seeing him then give me a small smirk there as I was taking some of the blood off his cut there on his cheek.

"Why wouldn't they be? You're a badass," He reminded me in a compliment, a low growl in his tone there as it said it in such confidence there in front of me. I eyed him there, seeing him give me warm eyes there as I shook my head slowly with my own small smirk there on my face. Even with a moment like this, he was building me up instead of pulling me down.

"This coming' from the guy who can bring out plenty of fire to burn down a building," I reminded him too, seeing him shrug his shoulders there, which was an improvement from times before when he would deny his own powers and strength. He came a long way since then, we both have now as I was patching him up.

"I think we might be in over our heads,this time, _Mi Amor_ ," He explained to me resting his hands on my thighs there as I was still working on his wounds there now along his neck.

"No kiddin'," I replied in agreement now, throwing away the bloody cotton ball that was in my hand there and then grabbing a new one, "These guys are tougher than the others in the past. At least these guys have a spine."

"I doubt it's a spine that they have," Chato joked with me, having me pause and look at him now with a big grin on my face though it was hurting my busted lip.

"You made a joke," I stated to him, seeing him almost scoff at me now as I finished up on him,

"You always think that I'm serious all the time." He reminded me there, getting a bit closer to me now and having me feeling the warmth there being that close to him again.

"Well not all the time," I joked, seeing him slowly smile at me and I grinned back at him. But that moment of happiness for the both of us only lasted for a few seconds, the new reality of what we were doing was setting in once again now. Just looking at the bruises and cuts there along his face and how I was harboring the same thing too on my own. It wasn't supposed to be this way, having me sigh now in defeat.

"What are we doing here, Chato?" I asked him now, sounding more miserable about it now that it was sinking in under our bones and within our heads. He said nothing, thinking the same thing from how he was feeling. He didn't look comfortable about it now as I leaned forward and rested my head on his shoulder, feeling him wrap his arms around me and hold me close there as I sat there on the bathroom counter. It felt all we could do was hug each other in that moment, not say anything about it for a few seconds but just be.

"Did we make a mistake?" I asked him in a solemn tone as he was keeping me close to him and his fingers were tapping along my skin there in a peaceful rhythm.

"We're doing this for Mary," He said against my hair, almost in a mumble now as I squeezed into him a bit more just with the thought of our daughter and what we were doing just for her. It was true, very true, but at what cost?

"But this? Why this?" I asked him now, almost thinking that we were out of our minds now from just going through only one of these small missions, not knowing how much more we were going to have to go through and stay alive. It felt like Waller was asking for far too much for the both of us since we were the ones that didn't want to come back.

"If we don't then who will?" I pulled away to look at him when he asked me that, almost looking at him in shock. It was odd and unique for him to say something like that, something that seems out of his own element when it came to being a real hero. It wasn't like him, not that it was a bad thing, but it was still something that he would say all the time when it came to being on the Squad. He was more reluctant on being a hero, but then again he was still working on the thought that he was no monster.

"We might as well try to fight this," he explained to me softly as he rested his forearms on my shoulders there as we were still close, "Because I don't want Mary to not have us growing up if this thing keeps going on." He was afraid, afraid that Mary could lose her mother and her father excuse of this threat with the metahumans and their annihilation apparently. He didn't want that for our daughter, he wanted both of us alive for her sake. I wanted it too, the both of us were damaged from what happened in our pasts and we were trying to make sure that it wouldn't happen to our daughter.

We didn't want to repeat history.

"I'm only doing this for Mary," I reminded him with a pointed finger, seeing him nod his head in agreement now with his own soft smile there on his lips as I then touched his chest there softly with my finger, "And for you too. I'm doing this for you,"

"Same here, _Mi Armor,_ " He said to me too, having me wrap a few of my fingers there in his shirt to pull him a inch closer as he then dived in to kiss me square on the lips, It was almost stinging my wound there, but that was in the back of my mind as I was kissed him back just as sweetly and his arms went around my neck to have us be chest to chest. My own arms wrapped around his waist there, staying firm against his shirt and skin as we kissed some more there in the small bathroom that we were sharing.

I pulled away from him, seeing that he was almost coming out of some kind of haze from us practically making out there in the bathroom, and yet the both of us looked like we went through hell and back because of the mission. It was downright insane in how this was happening, but then again we were never normal.

"What brought that on?" I asked him, wondering what he was thinking in his head. He said nothing, but the smile was still there on his face as he was still holding me close there and having me now look at him in shock, realizing what it was now as I pointed my finger at him.

"You have a kink for me with this?" I asked him, pointing to my busted lip, almost in shock if that were the case and now I was looking at him in a huge shock, "You do have a kink for that!" He pulled me closer again with his lips pressed against my now to shut me up.

"No more talking," He murmured against my lips as his warm arms went around my waist to pull me into him now with my hands around his neck to cradle him close.

"Whatever you say, _Chere_."

* * *

Seattle, Washington

"You sure this is the right place?" I looked up from the piece of paper that had the address there, some of us were there going in with another lead that was going to help with this metahuman manhunt situation. But instead of being lead to a blood bath with the soldiers that we dealt with before, this was now more with metahumans. Apparently, hideouts and bunkers were sporting up left and right, metahumans were going into hiding in hopes that they were not going to be killed. It almost felt like we were stepping back in time and being back in Germany in a time of going into hiding for certain people.

Because I was the only one in the whole group that had some kind of connections when it came to going to metahuman exclusive clubs and pubs in the past, I knew how to get us in and out without a fuss about it. I did it a few times when I needed to get out of the house and away from my father, in which case I was getting other met humans that were doing the same thing that I was doing.

Running from the real world.

"This is the one place that Waller found, and it's been getting the most buzz with other metahumans," I explained to the group now as I shoved the paper there in my pocket, rolling my shoulders a bit there as I then looked back at the others behind me. Deadshot, Boomerang, Chato, myself and Flag were there, leaving Croc and Katana as a backup just in case something does go south. We were in street clothes, trying to look as normal as humanly possible there in the rainy night though it was mistier than a downpour some hours before when we landed in the city.

"Okay," I said now to all of them as they were watching me, "These clubs can get nasty in two seconds once they find out that you're not metahumans. You need to stay calm, play it cool like you don't belong there, and whatever you do, no matter how tempting it is, do not stare."

Deadshot looked at me in confusion, "What?"

"You heard me," I replied to him in a low manner now, "We don't know what kind of metahumans could be in there and how powerful they are. Basically, it's a minimal thing in there when it comes to rules and regulations. So, with that being said, try not to get yourself killed in there with what you say. They'll kill you."

"So…play nice basically?" Boomerang asked me now as he shifted with his heavy jacket on and he looked a bit out of his own element there.

"Yeah," I replied, seeing my breath leave me in the cold air and escape to the sky, "Play nice or we die in there." For a second no one moved or said a word about it, since I made it sound so blunt and to the point without sugar coating it. But Deadshot nodded his head now, already accepting it and thinking more optimistic.

"Alright, well let's go make some friends," He said in hopes, having me look over at Chato now to maybe see how he was feeling about this. He never mentioned how he felt about other metahumans, let alone being around them. Would he be okay with it? He just licked his lips, looking stiffer like a board as he nodded his head at me now, showing that he was along for the ride.

"Remember," I said to the group before I placed my knuckles against the door, looking at each of them now to see how they were feeling, "Be nice."

"Cross my heart and hope to die," Boomerang replied back to me in a light manner as I looked back at the door, tapping it twice fast and once slow. Nothing happened at first, having me think that got the wrong door there. But the viewing scope there slid across, having me look dead ahead now as an eye was looking back at me. It was not a human eye, almost like a bird's eye there that was the size of a human eye. I could hear some of the others moving away a bit from seeing that eye there, looking back and forth in a rapid place like a bird's eye would.

"Password?" A voice asked, deep and almost raspy there.

" _Nos sunt in evolutione_ ," I replied to him fluently, seeing him scan in one me with his eyes and sit there for a moment or so. I waited since it was the only thing that I could do.

"Proof?" He asked now, having me take off my glove there in my left hand to hold it up with the diamond form coming over me now. He looked at my diamond hand, then closing the door there in a heap.

"Remember, play nice," I said to them under my breath.

"Since when do you speak Latin?" Deadshot asked me in a snort there.

"Since I started coming to these places. Latin, apparently, is the metahuman birth language," I explained to him now as the door slowly opened and we all stood out there, peering in and hearing the deep bass there at the back of the club. We stood there for a moment or two before I took my deep breath there and started walking in, the others were now following me reluctantly since they didn't know where to go or what to do. I felt like the leader there, which was not what I had in mind.

"Follow me," The man said, who had two bird eyes attached to his human body. It looked like it would fit him, though, he had a hipster look about him with the hair parted on one side and the saved hair on the other side, sleeved tattoos and a denim vest. He walked like it was a normal day for him, and I felt as though it was normal too, but it was the others that were in for a rude awakening. Even passing some of the people there in the hallway, half of them were talking to each other and the other half were watching us as we were walking past them, almost judging us there. I was used to it, the others were going to have to soon. I could heard the music seeping under my skin as we were getting closer and closer now.

 _Give me the sound, to see_

 _another world outside that's full of_

 _all the broken things that I made..._

 _Just give me a life, to bleed_

 _another world outside that's full of_

 _all the awful things that I made..._

The room was much bigger there, two floors with the second floor was mostly a wrap around balcony that was surrounding the dance floor that was on the bottom level. A bar was on the first level with alcohol flowing, on the other side of the dance floor was an opening with some pool tables and lounge chairs that people were sitting at. It looked to be more of a club there as we were in now as we were approaching the balcony that would show us the dance floor there. Brick walls were reaching the ceiling and low industry beams were stretching from one part of the ceiling to the other. It could be any other dance floor there in the city, but I knew there was more of an underline that was not surfaced yet.

Once we reached the balcony, with the others occupied and watching the whole club there, I looked over to Bird Man there, seeing him watch as well with amusement on his face.

"Who's the ringleader of this club?" I asked him now, seeing his bid eyes look right at me now in interested since I brought it up.

"Why you wanna know?" he asked me, leaning against the railing there like we were old friends.

"Have a few questions," I said back to him nonchalantly, seeing him give a wicked grin at me now as the bass of the song was getting under our skin there and almost vibrating the railing there that we were against.

"He's not one to talk to anyone out of the blue. You need to make a reservation with him when you want his attention," He explained to me now as he grabbed a cigarette pack from his denim jacket pocket there, grabbing a stick and then a lighter.

"I do know a few people, one in particular, that the ringleader might be interested in talking to sometime in the future," I persuaded him now as he looked at me now with his own intrigue there within his bird eyes.

"Oh yeah, who would that be?" He asked me.

"Harley Quinn," I replied smoothly, the others listening in now as I used my friend name there as some kind of lineage and lever there. From how I knew how ring leaders would think, if they feel that someone as big as Harley Quinn in the crime world could help them, they'll talk to that person who brought the news.

So, I was going to talk to the Ringleader.

"I'll see what I can do. Don't leave the bar until I come and fetch you," he explained to me as he inhaled deeply the cigarette between his fingers and then moving away from me and walking off without a second thought or s second word to me. I sighed, drinking it in now and trying to make sure I was making the right choice on this matter now as I looked at the others behind me there as they were listening in on the conversation with the guy. They looked interested and intrigued, and Chato almost a bit off from how I talked to the guy as if we were casual friends. I didn't know if he was jealous or just pissed about the whole thing.

"So…this ringmaster guys is what…the head honcho around here?" Flag asked me as other song came on and the beat was changing there under our skin as I grinned at him, leaning against the railing there and seeing the dim lights of the dim cloak the rest of the group there.

"The Ring Leader, although it's a great name, is the person who is in charge of this district with the metahuman population. They are in charge of the metahuman affairs and how they are being handled in the public. If someone needs a place to crash, a few hundred dollars for a fresh start, anything that they need that won't interfere with the metahuman population affairs, the Ring Leader can give it," I explained to the group now as I noticed some of the others in the room were moving in and out of the area.

"Never took you as being part of a cult," Deadshot said in amusement now as he looked more uncomfortable.

"Pass your bedtime, eh?" Boomerang asked he was googly eyed with some of the metahuman girls passing by us and I rolled my eyes, seeing Deadshot's irritation there.

"Shut it," He said to Boomerang, now looking back at me now, "I'll go scout the area, do some kind of perimeter down on the floor. Keep your ear comm piece on, let us know if something does go down,"

"Done deal," I said to him, seeing him slowly move out of the way now with Boomerang behind him also moving over to where the stairs were. Flag moved to the other side, having me stay there with Chato now as he was once again feeling out of place where we were and how we were here. I watched him, moving away from the railing and walking over to him now. It felt like he was having some kind of memory, a bad one of one that was so close to his heart that it scared him.

"You okay?" I asked him now, seeing him feel as though he was about to go hide in the corner from where we were. I felt a bit panicked there, moving over a bit more now to grab his hands to hopes that it would calm him down in some way. Something was in his head, something that might be from the past there since he looked like he was about to panic. Did some kind of memory come up with him?

"What's wrong?" I asked him, but we were interrupted by Birdman there as he was back there by the both of us. We both looked, having me feel Chato squeeze my hands there as the man finally spoke up.

"He wants to see you, alone."

* * *

"So…you know Miss Quinn?" The Ring Leader himself was a bit less of a Power God than I thought he was, but he was still more of a piffle person there in the club. We were in the back, a long hallway against the back wall there that stretched out into more and more rooms. Some of them had bunks with people sleeping there, others had meeting rooms and one of them was at least a medical wing that people were going to for plenty of reasons. It was another part of this club, people coming here to crash for the night or to heal from whatever happened to them.

This was a sanctuary for some, a hide out for others, and an escape for all.

The Ring Leader was a bit older than me, still young enough to have some vigor in him but older to have me see that he's been around the circuit for some time. He was lean, almost like a pencil kind of lean with a swagger about him: dark blue jeans and a white shirt with a black leather jacket over that shirt there. Scruff was on his face, along with his intriguing eyes that would make any girl swoon if they were so naive and willing to be under his spell. Here, he went by the name Jenks.

"She's a friend of mine," I said back to him as I was sitting back in the leather chair that he had there in his room, seeing him leaning back in his chair and his feet kicked up on the desk there in front of him. He was so casual about it like we were old friends now as he grinned at me with his head back against the chair there.

"I heard she's a firecracker to work with, not to mention a wildcard in the sac," He said with a grin now as I just stayed quiet about it, not knowing if I should agree or be offended, "That and she works for The Joker, the guy just can't share can he?"

"She can bend the rules without him," I reassured him calmly, "If you ask her nicely, she'll be down to help."

"I bet she would," He said back to me now, looking at me up and down, "I don't know you like I know the others that come through my door. You're not from around here from how you're sounding,"

"New Orleans," I explained to him now, "I know the Ring Leader there very well. You might know him: Hayden?"

"Oh yeah, that guy. He's a bit off isn't he?" He asked me, having me nod in agreement.

"Yeah he's not all about being out in public far too much, but since that club was shut down because of the recent events, I figured I would come here since you guys are one of the last living clubs out here on the west coast," I explained, leaning forward a bit now and seeing him lose that small glimpse of luster there on his face now as he looked a bit more serious.

"I sense that you have questions for me." He said to me now, having me nod slowly as he then looked at one of his workers there in the corner and he snapped his fingers.

"Get us some drinks. The ones that will sober us up," He explained to them, the workers leaving the room now and leaving the two of us there now, once again the dull sounds of the bass from the club was still hard there between the both of us. He kicked his feet off there from the desk and sat up starlight, ruffling his almost waxy spiked hair as he was watching em carefully now.

"You have any idea as to who's behind the attacks?" I asked him.

"Your boss wants to know I presume?" He asked me, thinking that I had some kind of underline there and I was going to bring him trouble.

"I work with other metahumans and we are going to try and stop these guys from taking out any others like us," I explained to him now, hoping that he was not going to see me as some kind of traitor to him as well as his club.

"If you have to know, we're not so sure either," He explained to me after thinking about what he was going to tell me, one of his workers there coming back with two drinks there and placing one in front of me, "I had some of the best men out there finding things for me and getting me what I want,"

"You sound like you know how to play people," I stated to him, seeing him flash a wicked grin at me as he waved his fingers at me.

"Well, since we are metahumans here, I do know how to…well let's just say I can have people do what I want," He explained almost in a elegant way now, having me look at him with a raised eyebrow since it felt like it had something to do with his fingers or physical touch there, but he paused and pointed right at me.

"I won't demonstrate on you, you're a customer," He reassured me as he then brought his hand back to his other hand to fold them on the desk,"But, given the circumstance of the metahumans…we do have a problem on our hands."

"You have no leads?" I asked him now, hoping that he would tell me something that I would want to hear.

"Most of them have lead to dead ends," He explained to me now, "But one of those leads lead to a radical group, some kind of guerrilla group that's been all about 'cleansing the world' or some kind of shit like that," He took a long drink from his own glass there as I took a small sip there, realizing that it was straight rum there and it was almost burning down my throat.

"These guys are being funded, you don't see a whole lot of those guys that look like students who are fresh out of a party college running around with AK 47's and thinking they're hot shit. No, they're working for someone," He explained to me as he shifted a bit there in the chair,"It's a secret organization, not a whole lot of people know about it since they're more hush-hush."

"Then you know about it, how?" I asked him casually.

"Since I know how to talk to the right people and coax it out of them….specifically kidnapping one of that henchman and having him talk," I grinned at him, seeing that this guy was not messing around. He knew how to play the game and how to make it work to his favor. He was a true Ring Leader, I had to give him credit for that as I took another drink from the glass.

"So," I said, having another phase of the burning alcohol going down my throat,"What's the name of the group?" He looked at me as if he was thinking in his head if this was the good choice to tell me something like this, something that could be very dangerous for me to know. He said one word that would change everything.

"Haven."

* * *

The song played in the club when they arrived is Professional Griefers from Deadmau5 and Gerard Way


	6. Chapter 6

"Haven," I repeated him, seeing him watch me as I was trying out that phrase there on my tongue, "Never heard of it,"

"Of course you haven't, they're not one to be in the public eye from time to time," He explained to me in a grin there as if it was obvious, "They're a highly ranked, top secret science facility that's been trying to do breakthroughs involving cancer and other things,"

"They're not public," I stated in agreement to him.

"They're too high risk to be in the public eye. They're the kind of scientists and doctors that politicians and celebrities that will go to or an easy and secretive fix," Jenks explained as he clicked his fingers and his worker went off again, having me shift a bit there in my own chair and I was thinking about that organization that he told me about.

"These guys have been tight-lipped about their existence, not even most of the powerful people in the world know about them. You need a quick fix, a surrogate mother if you can't have a kid yourself, a new set of legs or lungs, or even the thought of having eternal life, they're your guys…if you have the money they'll help you," Jenks explained some more, having me feel as though this was getting weirder and weirder.

"I take it they're dangerous?" I questioned, seeing him shrug his shoulders there.

"They have been turning heads as of late, some of the big wigs in the government are seeing that they're more…..radical in their beliefs when it comes to evolution," I cocked my head at him then again, not understand.

"I'm not following," I explained.

"They have a specific belief when it comes to who dominates the world when it comes to evolution, and man do they hate metahumans," He went on with his talk there, the doors opening behind us now and one of his workers walking over to him in a brisk manner, as if he was on his own mission there and a pep in his step. He walked right over to Jenks, whispering in his ear now as Jenks' look of humor and casualness was now gone and no longer playful. He was serious, and it felt like I was coming in with an award situation.

"Bring him in," He said to the worker there, whom rushed off and Jenks look over at me now, a small look of irritation there. Oh shit, maybe he heard something about me and the guys now and he was about to either get us exposed or get us killed. I didn't know which one just yet.

"Apparently one of your friends that you brought here got into a fist fight at the bar," He explained to me, having me feel as though my throat was about to thicken.

"Which one?" I asked, trying to sound casual about it and not that I was about to panic.

"The Aussie bloke," He replied to me, having me groan now and really just want to run out of here. I was going to have Boomerang pay for what he did and it was not going to make me happy. Dammit, Boomerang.

"Goddamnit," I said in a mutter now as I heard the doors opening behind me once again, having me look over now thinking that I was going to see Boomerang being brought in and then having us get the boot out of here. We were on a mission, in which Jenks had no idea, and yet it was about to be blown up. But it wasn't Boomerang that was brought in, which was surprising me now as it was not the person who was beaten down to a bloody pulp. He was brought in by his jacket, roughed up here and there by the man who got him there and he was shoved down on his knees there next to the desk. He was gasping for air now as I got up from my chair and moved away from him, almost to the wall there now as Jenks got up from his own chair and waltzed over to the man. He looked at me and threw out his hand for me to stay.

"You're alright, you stay there," He reassured me as he looked back at the worker there who was still holding that barely conscious man there, "Lock the door and make sure we're not disturbed." The man walked off now, with the wounded man there on the ground.

"I would advise you not to get blood on my floor, or you'll be mopping it up," He said to the man there, crouching down in front of him now with a cock of his head now as I stayed beyond still since it felt like I should leave the room there and not be involved with it, "So, with that being said, I wanna know why you're ruffling some feathers in my establishment."

"He said the wrong thing," The man coughed up, blood on his lips there as he eyed Jenks and Jenks rolled his eyes.

"Well I do hope you know we don't fight here within these walls," He said as a reminder, "This is neutral territory. You fight in my club, you don't get to come back," I looked from Jenks over to the man how as he grabbed some of the man's hair there, pulling his head back almost too roughly there as he was looking at him directly in the eyes, "Why don't you tell me why you're fighting some of my guests?"

"What makes you think I'll talk?" He asked Jenks in a rough manner, having me take another step back there as Jenks just sighed, looking over at me now as he gave me a wink as if he was not phased with what was going on in front of him.

"You ready to see my magic trick?" he asked me, almost suave at me like he was ready to show off his own ability in front of me. I said nothing now as he then pointed his fingers there against the man's head. I saw nothing at first, but something with Jenks' eyes started to have them glow, They were almost a bright yellow now, and something like mist was coming out of his fineries there to have the guy inhale. Once he inhaled it, whether he was ready for it or not, I saw the man there was in some kind of trance there. I then knew what Jenks was doing and what he could do: he could control them.

Hypnotize.

"Now, tell me again, nicely, why you're here and why you were fighting?" He asked the man again now, the man slowly looking up at him now and I could see he was beyond lost with whatever trance Jenks put him in.

"We are here to find metahumans to take back to our facility," He said in a droid-like tone, having me look at him in shock there as Jenks looked harder and concentrated with what he was hearing.

"Well, you're a metahuman yourself. You're helping with their cause and against your own?" He asked him now, sounding more annoyed since he hearing what he didn't want to hear in the first place.

"They pay us well," He replied back in a nonchalant manner now, having me look over at Jenks now in worry since he might know who he was talking about, "They're coming…any minute they're coming since we sent out the coordinates."

"Who's coming?" Jenks asked the man now as my earpiece went off and I could hear Deadshot in my ear.

"Rose, get out of there now. We have to leave."

I turned my head away from Jenks and the man now as I tapped it to talk into the comm.

"What's going on?" I asked him in a whisper now. But then I heard a loud bang outside the office, back where the club was as both Jenks and I looked at the door there, no one moving an inch. I was terrified then, thinking that something bad went wrong there. I felt as though I should run to find the others now as Jenks looked at one of his workers.

"Lock him up here and keep him inside," he said to him before he looked at me now and pointed, "You, come with me."

We both walked out of the room now, down the main hallway there and hearing that the music as stopped and people were standing still there, moving out and away from the dance floor there since someone was standing there in the middle with what looked like a huge rifle there in their hands, looking at everyone there as if he had spitfire there in his eyes. Jenks and I weaved our way through the crowd there and no one moved a muscle there, having me look up and around the area now to see what was happening. There were others in the room that were not the metahumans, they too had rifles out and aimed at the people there. It was the guerrilla group there that we saw before in Los Angeles, having some kind of Sigma there on their sleeves of their uniforms. It made me mad that I found them again now as the main guy there on the dance floor was watching everyone when we approached the outline of the circle.

The same guy with the bullhorn. Hotshot.

Jerks walked out to the middle of the dance floor there, being the only one there in front of him now as they were having some kind of stare down as the others were watching in fear and anticipation at the same time. I was looking around for the others, seeing where they were and if they too knew what was going on.

"Looks like you are having such a good time in here at my party, though I don't believe I extended an invitation," Jenks said in a proper manner now, the hotshot of a man there just cocked a grin at him.

"Such fine words for filth of a race like yours," He replied back to Jenks smoothly now as he then looked around him at the innocent metahumans there that were watching, "I thought we got all of the clubs out of business, looks like we missed one."

"I don't appreciate humans coming in and waltzing around like they own the place," Jenks replied back smoothly now as he walked a bit closer to the man there, who cocked his gun in an effort to scare Jenks. But Jenks didn't falter, not one bit now as he cocked his head at the man. "Such a sad little boy wielding gun like he was playing with it, not using it lightly." The man then shot up his gun o aim directly at Jenks there, almost like he was offended from what Jenks told him and some of the others in the room took a step back there.

I looked over to where the bar was, seeing Boomerang there hiding amongst the others there I scanned the place some more, seeing Flag still at the second level near the balcony, Deadshot near the exit and close to one of those goons that broke in. But where was Chato?

Oh no.

"You think I'm scared of a bunch of freaks who can do magic tricks?!" He asked Jenks in a roar now, "We will win and you will all die in ashes. I'll see to it as we set this place in flames!"

"Oh come now, you think you're the first one of your kind of threaten me?" Jenks asked him back smoothly, "Such an amateur thing to say. You don't know the type of firepower we have in this place, making your guns look like playthings." I could see some of the metahumans around the area now shifting a bit, in a confident manner now as they were keeping their eyes on the soldiers there. I wondered what he was going to do with these guys since he clearly explained to me there back in the office that they were hired help, and they meant business. But he wasn't phased as the men took a step towards him with his gun.

"You threatening me, freak?" He asked Jenks in almost a cocky manner.

"I'm giving you the choice, to walk away and not be harmed. We metahumans are polite in that sense, unlike you. But since you're deciding to threaten an entire room of metahumans, some of whom can do more damage to you with a snap of their fingers or a wink of their eye, I would advise you to rethink what you're wanting to do." Jenks explained to him in a low tone now, having me feel them someone press into me from behind and lace our fingers together, I knew that hand.

"Chato," I whispered under my breath to him now as he was pressing into me in almost a protective manner.

"We need to leave, now," he said to me now as I saw Jenks look up and away from the men, to the others in the room as they were watching.

"I doubt the metahumans in here will let you go willingly," He said, projecting his voice there for the others to hear now as then looked back at the man now, raising his fingers there in the air as if he was about to summon something in effect. I watched too to see what he had up his sleeve, Chato staying right behind me now as Jenks then snapped his fingers.

The light went out, and things got chaotic.

At first, people were moving around in a fast way, the guns going off but the screaming was overshadowing it. Because of the gunfire, the rapid lights of the guns were showing me the faint glimpses of the chaos around me as people were both running out of the club, or running towards the danger. I thought we were going to be slaughtered by those goons and muscles there for Haven, but it was not the case.

It was the opposite. We were fighting back.

I could see abilities being used, soldiers fly high in the air and being slammed into the walls like they weighed the same amount as a piece of paper or an apple. Other were trying to move out of the way from the assault. I was trying to dive out of the way of some of the people flying around and being shoved and killed by both the guns and the abilities. Some people were flying, some were shooting out rays from their eyes and hands as well. It was hard to see who was fighting who, who's side was good and who's side was bad. It was all too much for me to drink in now as Chato held my hand, the both of us trying to weave our way out and around the assault. In the process, I was having my diamond form coming over me in case we were about to get into a messy situation.

One of the goons had a gun at the both of us, I threw whirled around and ducked with Chato underneath me as he was firing his gun at my back to try and get some of the assault on me. It was bouncing off of me in a rapid pace now, just like the previous missions beforehand. I was staring down, making sure I was covering Chato all over now as the firing was still going on.

I looked down at Chato, seeing him crouching underneath my body there and keeping his hands against my lower stomach there to keep his balance. He looked up at me now, his hands there against my diamond formed belly were getting red hot and flamed was seen there in both hands. He nodded at me once, showing me he was ready to throw out at the guy there who was still shooting me. I got my hands ready too, waiting for the one small second that the guy was going to use as a window.

He paused.

"NOW!" I yelled, ducking in time for Chato to shoot up and shoot out two fireballs at the guy, who was thrown back because of it and we stood up again to see the rest of the riot in the club forming. Things were shifting and moving with or without me knowing about it, Chato and I moving along now holding hands there and trying not to get caught in the whole thing. We reached the bar area, where we saw Boomerang fending off a few of the goons there that were trying to snatch him up. I moved away from Chato now, running over to Boomerang there and launching myself on one of the goons there, whom in return threw me of this shoulder and I landed on the bar surface in a grunt.

"Fancy to see you here, Shelia!" Boomerang said to me with a grin as he cracked one of the beer bottles over a goon's head as I was trying to block one of the goons hitting me with his gun there in an effort to get me down. He grabbed what looked like to be a large spear there in his hand, but on the end was a taser kind of mechanism. It was about to strike me when he was launched off of me now, flying into the sky there and almost hitting one of the beams there in the room. I was shocked from what I saw, seeing that it was Birdman that threw him off with a screech from his lips and a force that made me think of him more as an eagle, not a simple bird.

He saved me.

"You alright there?" He asked me, having me nod my head there as he was then pushed to the side by another metahuman. I looked down the bar surface, down on the other side now as I was seeing a few more of those goons about to shoot another set of metahumans who were cowering in the corner and about to be taken away. It made me hop up and run down the bar surface, thinking that I didn't want to see them be taken to God knows where. They would be killed, and that would kill m in return on the inside if I didn't stop it.

I threw out shards of diamonds at the goon that was about to shoot at them. I bolted across the top, bottles and glass were stomped under my feet there and I jumped on the goon there before he could fall to the floor, the 4 metahumans there watching the whole time in shock there as I threw my head up at them now, slowly getting up from my stance there on the ground and on top of the goon like I was perched on prey.

"What do we do?" One of them asked, not knowing what to do themselves. Was this their first taste os being in a real war? Being hidden this whole time, not wanting to expose themselves to the public eye and have others take them away. I knew they were scared, I could see it in their eyes and in how they were cowering together. But there was a time to be scared, and it was not now.

"Fight back," I replied to them now, moving away from them now as I walked away to find the next goon to get my hands on. It sounded harsh, it didn't sound like me, but this war that was thrust on us was enough for me to remind them that we have to do what we need to do in order to survive. I never called myself a murderer, up until now when more precious things were placed on the line.

I shoved another set of goons pass me now as I could hear more chaos there in the room as the gunfire was seizing. It felt like we were winning the war there in that small room, the smell of blood and gunfire was filling our noses there as I was trying to find the rest of the Squad and see if they were alive. But something caught my attention there as I was being pushed to the middle of the dance floor once again. The goons were being rounded up there, handled by the metahumans in the room now. It was slowly dying down there, no one else moved there as the goons were being brought in front of a fussed up but all intact Jenks. He looked at each of them, both the conscious and the unconscious as I watched in return too to see what he was going to do. There were loud footsteps behind me now, running over to me as I looked to see Flag, Deadshot, and Boomerang.

"Hey, you alright?" Flag asked out of breath, having me nod my head at them now as I then looked at him in question,"Where's Chato?"

"I thought he was with you," Flag said to me as Jenks spoke up now to the group of met humans.

"Bring them to the back medical wing, we'll wipe their memories from the past 48 hours," He explained, some of the metahumans stepping up and taking them over one of by. I was panicking, not knowing where my husband was and thinking that something bad happened to him. We were together for a few second in the assault, but then I lost him, which I was now mentally kicking myself for that.

"They got to a few of us," One spoke up from the crowd, all of us looking over to see what he was talking about as he was out of breath. Some people were moving over to the center of the dance floor now, carrying what looked like to be bodies of unconscious metahumans. The last body that they brought over made my own heart stop there and I wanted to scream.

Chato, unconscious and lowered on the floor.

"Shit," Flag said in a grunt as we both bored out to the dance floor there, seeing Chato placed there on the gourd gently by the other metahumans and they moved out of the way for the both of us.I looked him over at first, thinking that he was wounded and he died there. But he wasn't dead, I had to repeat that in my head over and over now as he was still breathing heavily as if he was in deep sleep. He was banged up from the fight for certain, but he was out cold. I was feeling as though I could be in tears now as the met human spoke up again. Boomerang and Deadshot met up on the floor now, watching me and not saying a word.

"They were injected with something," He explained to Jenks now as I placed my hand there on Chato's neck, feeling his heartbeat against my fingers and then a small marking there along his neck. It was a puncture wound, a big one for certain as I looked up and over at Jenks. I was beyond mad for someone to do this to him, and I wanted an answer then and there. Anger was slowly filling me since he was there on the floor with no clue for me to follow as to what was going on. It scared me, having me think that he was injected with something terrible or life threatening now as Jenks walked over to me now, looking at the unconscious Chato now and seeing my distress there as Flag placed a hand on my shoulder.

"We can give him treatment," Jenks offered in a kind manner, almost concerned as Flag spoke up for me.

"We have a place where we can take him," Flag answered back, seeing Jenks nod his head now at Flag before looking at me again. I could hear Flag talking in his comm to get Deadshot and Boomerang ready for us to get Chato out of there.

"If we find anything about this injection, we'll let you know," Jenks explained to me as he handed me his card there slowly. I just nodded my head now as he breathed out slowly and looked at his club almost in shambles, "Good thing you were here, or else things would have been worse. Tell me, Rose, which side are you on?" I looked at him dead in the eye, holding my husband's hand there in a death grip now as I felt another wave of coldness come over me as my stare was nothing warm.

"I'll let you know."

* * *

"His vitals are level, nothing spiking or decreasing since he came in," I was watching from the side of the bed there as he was still out of it. We were back at Belle Reve, bring Chato into the medical wing to see what was wrong with him. We didn't know what kind of injection or serum that they gave him, or how much it was, and it was worrying me since he was out cold, beyond out cold to the point that it was making me panic. I wanted to know if he was at least going to be okay.

"Whatever they gave him was enough to knock him out for a few hours," the medical doctor said explained to Waller as Flag and I were standing there next to Flag. I was watching him breathe in and out, looked more content there in the medical bed as I was just holding his hand there in hopes that it would help him in the end. Was this what he was feeling when I was out cold from the MidCity mission, back to when we barely knew each other? It felt like it now, almost like I was afraid that he wasn't going to make it or not be the same.

"Thank you, Doctor, how about you and me go talk outside," Waller suggested, having me look over my shoulder now at Waller as the doctor walked out of the room. Waller eyed me then, having me say nothing there as she then walked out of the room and the door closed behind her. I was on edge with her as it was, bringing Chato and I back into this because she needed the fire power. It felt very much like we were being used, and now that Chato was wounded from the mission and it was not looking good in his favor, I was slowly hating her more and more now.

"I know you wanna kill her," Flag said to me under his breath as I looked back at Chato, still watching him breathe in and out, "I would too if I was in your position, and June was lying there."

"All we wanted was a normal life, Flag," I reasoned with him now in almost a trembled tone since it was scaring me, this whole situation,"We didn't want any of this."

"I know you didn't," Flag reassured me, squeezing my shoulder there next to him as he breathed out deeply in content,"Just know that the Squad has your back,"

"Thanks," I replied shortly with him, seeing him they move slowly away from me and over to the door now. I turned to watch him go, a sense of heaviness there in his steps there as he was about to open the door with his hand there on the door handle when he looked back at me. For a split second, I thought he was going to say something else, but then his eyes went wide now. But he wasn't looking at me, he was looking at the bed.

'What's wrong?" I asked him, then feelings emoting move against my hand and I looked over too within a split second. What I saw shocked me, a wave of relief there as I saw Chato wide awake, looking right at me now and not blinking. He was okay, I was saying that over and over again now as I felt as though I could cry in a sense of relief. Chato was alive and okay. I smiled at him, thinking that it was the only thing I could do at the moment to show that I was okay. Was he okay? Why wasn't he saying anything?

"Chato?" I asked him now, almost having a sense of panic. As soon as I said his name, he shot up from the bed and threw his hands around my neck there, choking me and it happened within a second. I lost my breath as he was squeezing so hard that it was almost making me cross-eyed as he shot up and was sitting straight in the bed like a lightning bolt down his spine and his eyes were no longer showing love but pain, pain and anger and hate.

Hate towards me.

"Chato! Let her go! Let her go Damnit!" Flag scrammed as he threw out his gun there and pointed at Chato as he was still choking me there, a growl there on his lips and I was trying to get him off for me with my own hands there against his wrist, trying to yank him off. What was hell? HIs eyes weren't warm, which was what had me realize that he was not himself. They were cold, almost black all over instead of the warm brown that he had. Something triggered him, it was like he was back to being the villain that he thought he was. It was beyond hard, the oxygen was no longer there as he was trying to not only choke me out but pin me down to the floor there. I had to think of a way to get him off of me and not hurt him at the same time.

"This is your last warning, let Rose go!" Flag said, cocking his gun there and I panicked, thinking that Chato was going to be killed for this. This was not Chato, this was not my husband there and I felt as though this was some kind of sick twisted trick. He was not the person that would want to kill me, something was very wrong here as I finally had enough strength to have my diamond form some over me. I barely had any left in me as the diamond form was slowly coming over me, not being able to breathe and the blue lips were seen and bruises were already around my neck and piercing against my bones. I was afraid that whatever triggered him was going to have him set me aflame, but I had one more trick up my sleeve to at least get him off of me. Once my full head was in diamond form, I slammed my head against his head, feeling in release me and fall over on the bed in a heap and unconscious again.

He was out, and I fell to the group with a gasp of my lips.

"Rose," Flag said in worry as he caught me, the doctor and Waller were back in the room after hearing the commotion and I was looking up at the ceiling, tears in my eyes and my human form was coming back to normal. I felt my throat and neck there was beyond on fire, hurting like hell and I was watching the ceiling again, trying to find my own voice and my own oxygen again. It was hurting to breathe now as I looked over at Chato now, seeing him once again asleep and unconscious and I then cried for more than one thing.

Crying from the physical and emotion pain.


	7. Chapter 7

I woke up, feeling the heaviness there in the drugs still weighing on me since I was still beyond sore from what happened to me. I was wearing a neck brace, the IV there in my arm was getting irritating for me to get used to and work with since I fell asleep last. The doctor recommended me to stay in the bed for a few hours, maybe a day or so since the bruises were a bit rough there along my neck, thinking that I suffered from neck damage.

What Chato did.

It scared me, not saying a word about it when they took me to my own room to heal and get better. It was breaking my heart, over and over now as the doctor examined me and reassured me that with rest I was needed. but I wasn't listening to him, I was tuning him out within my own head now as I was thinking about Chato, how he looked at me as if….as if he didn't know me.

He didn't know me, it was like I was a stranger.

How could that be? It felt like his mind was erased for some reason, when he was back to the kind of person he used to be before he was in the prison. He was a completely different person, far darker and more sinister like he was a villain. It scared me, beyond scared me that he was capable of something like that against me, and I wondered if it was really him. Something felt like he wasn't him, that I was seeing someone else in his place that wanted to kill me. But still, even with his face there and his eyes beyond dark to the point of being pitch black, it broke my heart that it was him that did that. I knew it was him from how his hands felt on my skin, plenty of times that he did place his fingers on me that I knew them like my own hands. It was him….as sick as it was for me to say it…it was him.

My god.

I looked down, sensing a shift of weight there against my arm and I noticed a smaller body there pressed against me and sleeping soundly. I felt another tug at my heart, a bad one since Mary was deeply asleep against my there, her head turning in against my upper chest and her arms folded in to be near me. She would sleep like this constantly when she would share the bed with Chato and I. But now, it was just me with a neck brace and bruises along my throat and a damaged voice. It was killing me, almost making me beyond the point of being depressed since it was Chato that did it. I tried to think of some way that it wasn't him, some way that this was all in my head. But the pain was real, the feeling of his fingers pressing into my throat to kill me and the growl from his lips hitting my ears, it was all real.

But Mary was real too, and she was asleep in my arms.

I started to cry there, not being able to move one of my arms with the IV there as the other carefully reached up to stroke her long hair there with my nimble fingers. It felt safe being there with her, seeing the color of her hair and the freckles on her tan skin. She was my sense of reality there, no matter how bad it was hurting to move my neck or just breathe. She was there, reminding me as to why I was still in this shit hole of a situation. I saw a tear from my cheek escape in her hair now as the door opened into my room. I looked over from my spot in the bed with Mary, seeing Flag there walking in and closing the door behind him, locking it gently and quietly now. I wanted to ask him so any questions, all that happened and why I was here with Mary, why she was there and not with June, and what happened to Chato.

"Good to see you're awake," He said to me as he walked over slowly, having me see that he had no weapon on him, which was beyond odd, to say the least since I was so used to him having some kind of pistol there at least on his hip, "How you holding up?"

"Fine," I replied, but my voice was far gone from sounding normal, it almost sounded like I lost it completely and without shame there as Flag then shook his head.

"That's my fault. The doctor said to have you rest your vocal chords since it was a bit damaging," He reminded me, having me close my mouth again and nod as he then motioned with his head over to Mary, "After you were brought in here, Mary was asking June where you guys were. I figured…well we all did…that she should see you." I smiled at him, showing that it was considerate of him. I felt as though I wasn't June and Flag enough for taking care of Mary, and I want do thank them if it wasn't for the circumstance that I was in. I was just glad that I had some kind of family to rely on, even with this kind of deal.

"Chato's…well…he's still out," I felt my own smile falter a bit from hearing about him and how he was still unresponsive. It was killing me then, the circumstance that we were in. It pained me, beyond pained me that something like that happened to him now. Flag could see it on my face there, shifting a bit as he walked a bit closer and sat down next to me in the spare chair that was close to Mary.

"After we took you over here to your own room, the doctor drew some of his blood to check and see if something's….wrong with him," He explained to me calmly, though I was giving me an obvious look that I knew he was not him at all. Flag nodded from seeing my face, "I know I know, that was not him in there that….that did that to you." He was trying to delicate about it, I could see how uneasy it was for him to talk about my injury. I wanted to tell him all that was on my mind, but once again my voice was cut off from the damage and bruising there so it pained me not to talk.

"Rose, I know that wasn't him. I know it, and you know it. Whatever happened in that club back there…whatever they gave him in that injection…it wasn't him. That wasn't the Chato that we both know," He explained to me, almost like he was trying to convince me that it wasn't my husband that did that, it was another side of him that was brought out because of someone else's plans and motives. It was sickening, beyond sickening to think that someone would do this to other people…turning them into something so vial and unpure.

I just nodded my head to show that I understood, then really thinking that I wanted to ask him what was going to happen to Chato. I was scared for him now, since it wasn't just Flag that saw that side of him. No, I knew that the Doctor and Waller saw that too. It made me panic now, looking at him with wide eyes and in hopes that he would at least tell me, I reached over to grasp his arm there, getting his attention and squeezing it a bit tighter now in hopes that he would get the message without me using my own voice.

"They have to cuff him," I cocked my head at him in disbelief as he said that to me, "They're afraid of what he was capable of doing because of the serum or whatever the hell they gave him back in Seattle. Until he rides it out…or something else does happen…he's going to stay here and he might be placed in his own cell." I moved my hand away from him, making a fist at my side since lashing out at him was not the best idea For one, Mary was still fast asleep against me, and two, I was still a bit out of it from the drugs and the damage there on my body. But that was insane, downright stupid and idiotic for them to do to him. It was not him that did that to me, it was the goddamn drugs and the war that got to him. It made me angry that they were going to do that to my husband, even with me still having a sense of fear about him since he was capable of more pain than others.

"No," I said in almost a growl there,e the tears were forming in my eyes from the pain that I was feeling. There was more pain than just the bruises and the hurt vocal chords, the pain that my husband was drugged to do that to me, the pain that I felt just like my mother felt when my father struck her. I was feeling it too, but this time, Chato had no real say in it, unlike my father whooshes to do that. Chato was forced to do it, he would never raise a hand to me. I knew that, and I knew he knew that too. But still. All of this was far too much now as I was sobbing there in the medical bed with my daughter fast asleep next to me as Flag reached over to laced our hands together in a soothing manner. I could feel how calloused they were from being in the army and holding a gun for far too long.

"I'm watching him, Rose. I'm makin' sure he's not going to do anything or go anywhere with you and Mary, okay?" He asked me in a stern tone now, in hopes that I understood. He was making sure that I knew I was not going to be along in this, that Mary and I were going to be okay, and that Chato was going to be okay. I squeezed his hand there in my own, no longer sobbing but silently crying there in my bed and hoping that this was all a bad dream and I was going to wake up again back in my house, with Chato and Mary there in my arms.

"He's going to be okay, you understand me? I know he's going to be okay, and you know that too. I know you do," He said softly to me then, having me slowly my head then since there was no real choice in an arguing with him without my voice there. It was another reminder that I had a Squad looking after the both of us, and it felt more reassuring than working for Waller in general. Did she seem as a threat now? Did I want to know that? Probably not, and I doubt I want to see her face anymore from then on out.

"I know Deadshot and the others are going to want to say hi, but that's up to Waller," Flag informed me, having me found my voice one more time to say the one thing on my mind about her and this whole scenario.

"That bitch."

Flag cracked a grin and I smiled back as well, though it was painful.

* * *

Chato's POV

I could see it in my head, every second of it and how I couldn't stop it. It was a fucking nightmare, a real one. This time, no matter how much I wanted to wake up, I couldn't. Rose had to do that to me.

My god, what have I done?

I woke up in a haze like a fog was over my brain and my eyes there as I was in the medical wing of the prison. I remember from seeing Rose in here plenty of times, which worried me since I was the one that was in there. I do remember this room from hours before, but it wasn't me that was there. It didn't feel like me, it felt more like someone was in control over y body and making em move my hands to….I couldn't even think about it.

Choke and kill Rose.

It was making everything within me crumble down, all those feelings that I was doing okay with what I was doing in my life, no longer was there and existed. It was taken over by something else, something I knew was not part of my life. It made me feel as though I was drugged, someone moving my hands and whispering in my ear, "Kill the metahuman….kill her… murder her."

Murder my wife?

I went to move my arm there to rub my eyes and see if I was still dreaming, but I couldn't move my arm, having me look to see that I was in handcuffs. Handcuffs? What the hell? My other arm was handcuffed down as well, making me stuck there and not able to get out of the bed, in which I was beyond confused as to what was going on. My eyes went down to my legs, which were strapped down completely with thick straps that they would use on the insane inmates. Shit, was I insane now? Why was I scraped down like they were afraid that….that I was going to murder someone. Shit.

I knew then as the door opened and I looked over, making it seem slow them as I was greeted by three of the SEAL's, Flag in the front with his gun against his side there in his hand. I felt afraid then, almost intimidated as he was watching me like a hawk now as the others behind him and their guns out and ready within their hands. They weren't aimed at me, but they were about to be ready if I did something.

I knew what was doing on.

Flag watch me, the three others spread out in the room and keeping their stares right at me now as I said nothing, having me remember once again what I did, or what I thought I did, to Rose some time before and how I was out of my own control. How was I going to explain what I did to Flag? Where was Rose now? What about Mary, did she know what I did to her mother and where was he? When was I going to see her ? I saw her face in my own head as I was choking her and seeing the life almost leave her face. The look of pain in her eyes, pain and betrayal. I did that to her.

I almost killed her.

I closed my eyes, feeling the sadness and pain there all over my body and in my face, looking at my hands there and thinking that I wanted to chop them off from the fact that I touched her, almost killed her, with my fingers and hands. I squeezed my hands together, the anger that wanted to come up and over me now was no longer there because of what I did. But it was the shame. Shame and remorse from how I let something else control me and take over me for the sake of hurting someone I cared about more than life itself. I didn't care that I was crying there in front of Flag, or that I was shaking in the pain that I was feeling, I was just thinking of how much pain I caused and now I wasn't able to stop it.

"Chato," Flag said to me in a calm way, almost like he didn't want to scare me then as I shook my head, just wanting to curl up in a ball and go back in my tank. I didn't want to think that I did that and I almost took away my daughter's mother, my own wife, It was eating away at me now as I was weeping there in the bed, such a manly thing for me to do in that moment. But I didn't care, all I was thinking about, was Rose, and how I did that to her. The one thing that I promised her that I would do was to protect her from anything and anyone that tried to hurt her.

And now that was me.

"Hey," Flag said in his calm way, having me squint there and look down at my lap now, not wanting to listen and just be there alone, "I know that wasn't you….we all do,"

"What did I do?" I asked him quietly, wanting to hear what he wanted to tell me. Knowing him, though, he wasn't going to want to tell me, he had a bigger heart than I gave him credit for since I met him years and years ago. He said nothing as I looked at him, seeing him watch my eyes carefully now as I repeated myself and tried not to scream at him, "What did I do, Flag?"

"You weren't yourself, Chato," he explained to me thoughtfully, "Whatever triggered you made you violent, made you…"

"My old self," I said to him in a grumble there, thinking about it and how it was true, My old self used to be reckless and ruthless, not caring about others and their feelings for me, wanting to have power in my hands. But that…that wasn't me anymore.

Hell, I didn't know what was me anymore.

"The doctor's trying to figure out whatever's in your blood stream that triggered you," Flag started to explain to me like he was reading off laundry list, "He's thinking that it's some kind of behavioral switch serum, or something really scientists that I don't know what—"

"Someone told me to do it," He said nothing as I said that to him in a low manner, watching him in a cold manner as I breathe out slowly to not have my anger get the best of me, "Someone was talkin' in my head, tellin' me to do it."

"To do what?" Flag asked me, which was such an obvious answer for me wanted to hear it from my own mouth.

"To kill her," I explained them shortly, not wanting to say it myself but I felt the twinge of pain there again, "He was whisperin' in the ear…over and over again and I couldn't stop myself…someone made me do it," He was giving me look like I was the insane one in the situation. I had to have sounded crazy, beyond crazy like I was out of my mind, but I wanted to make sure he knew I was telling the truth. I knew what I was saying, and I knew it didn't sound sane, but I knew it was the truth and I wanted him to believe that and not see me as a freak now. He had to have known, did he?

"You gotta believe me, Flag I wouldn't do that to her…I would never hurt Rose like that.." I went on balling since it felt like that was the only thing that I could do in that moment to show that I was telling the truth and not a made up lie.

"I know you wouldn't, Chato," He reminded me, having me go quiet and rethink as to how this happened and how I let this happen to me and I wasn't strong enough, "I know that what happened back in here was not you at all."

"How do you know?" I asked him, wondering how Flag of all people had the good sense of who I was and who I wasn't. He gave me a hard stare, in deep though or maybe something like that, "Because I know you would never let anything happen to her. You told her so in the courthouse when you got married." I have forgotten about that, how Flag and the others were there in the courthouse when Rose and I got married in front of a judge. It was the only way we could ever get married, and it was what we both wanted. I thought back to what I told her when I gave her the ring Deadshot helped me pick out on one of his missions.

 _"I'm gonna protect you from anything, and anyone, that wants to hurts you. I won't be like your old man, I won't lay a finger you and think that I'm better than you. You are way better than me, Rose."_

"Whatever happened to you in your head, I know that it wasn't you," Flag reminded me again now as I nodded in agreement slowly, "The only person who's not on board with the whole thing, obviously, it Waller. She wants to keep you in here until we know for certain that this won't happen again."

"Of course she would," I muttered to him, already thinking of that woman and how she was pretty much controlling our lives once again, one thing that I really didn't like to at all. She was really about to get on my nerves, almost having me be tempted to just flick her with fire and watch her burn straight to hell.

"Trust me, I'm tryin' really hard to get her to change her mind, but since she's not the type to be easily persuaded, and you know that it'll take awhile until she'll let you out of here," Flag explained to me as he took didn't like the thought of Waller there having some say as to what was happening to me. I wasn't a prisoner of hers anymore so she would just threaten me with the bomb in my neck. But then again, Rose and I made a deal with her to help her with this problem. It sucked either way.

"What about me seeing Rose?" I asked him, seeing him pause and look at me in a calm way, not saying a word about Rose now. That was when I panicked, not wondering how Rose was feeling and what she was going through since I did that to her. Did she hate me? Was she not wanting to see me ever again? I was getting afraid again now as I looked at him in a worried manner, "Does she….does she hate me?"

"Chato, come on man," Flag said in an almost shocked manner since he heard me ask that of him.

"No, I wanna know. She hates me now, right?" I asked him now, thinking about how Rose would never want to see me again because of me almost killing her. Why would she want to stay with someone like me after I did that to her after I promised her to be good for her and for our daughter?

"You and I both know that Rose would never hate you," He answered me fully now as he could see the unclear look on my face now. I had to believe him, I really had to since there was nothing else for me to do. I wanted to see her again, to really see her again and make sure that she knew what I would never do that, not myself really.

I needed to fix this.

* * *

Rose's POV

"What we found, in his bloodstream, is some kind of toxin that I haven't seen before," I was there in my room, finally being able to get up and walk around for a few steps there and getting my strength back again. It's been another day of rest and another day of thinking within my own negative thought about all the happened. It felt as though we took a step back there in our progress in this battle since one of our own was affected by it. And it wasn't just one of our own, it was my own husband that no real right to be back there with the squad again. Neither did I and now we were suffering because of it. I felt as though I wanted to blame Waller because of it, really blame her because of what was going on in our marriage and in our family life. But then again we needed to remember that this just another bump in the road that we were going to have to deal with.

"This toxin, when it's broken down to similar and small components, are used by psychologists to get into a person mind….either in hypnosis or deep concentration. Either way, it's used for mind control," He explained to us as we were watching him put the scientific diagnosis there on the screen all of us watching him as he was explaining it some more, "Because of the other components that were mixed in, clouding increased durability and a boost of energy, this can make the person violent and almost lethal." It was just Waller, Deadshot, myself and the Doctor, Boomerang was filling Katana and Croc in with what happened and Flag was checking up on Chato.

"What do you mean 'almost'?" Waller asked him now as I looked over at Deadshot, who was standing next to me and watching me carefully the whole time. He wasn't looking at the bruises on my neck, that were stretched and almost looking my fingers there since it was still hard for me to talk let alone breathe. I must have looked beyond dreadful to just stand there and not show any more feelings about it as I shifted and looked the DNA of the toxin there that they found in Chato's blood system.

"He received a smaller amount of dosage," the doctor replied,"It was not enough for it to be fully in effect with him. If he received more, than I wouldn't know how to cure him. But he'll knock out of it at any time now with no more effects or triggers."

"Triggers," Deadshot said in a low tone, then look ahead of him like he struck an idea on his head, "Someone was controlling him." We all looked over at him now, wondering what he was talking about and how he made it sound so certain.

"How do you know that, Deadshot?" Waller asked him now as Deadshot pointed to the toxin there on the screen.

"When we were in that club, there were plenty of other metahumans that was shot with that stuff, so I'm guessing they were either tryin' to stun them so they can be taken, or it was part of their plan to use them," Deadshot explained now, having em remember the same thing too when we were there late in the night, others were just like Chato: they were drugged up and it was making more and more sense there within my own head.

"They're using metahumans to do their dirty work," I said in my raspy voice, all of it was clicking together, "To get into the clubs that only the metahuman can get into, to get close to ring leaders like Jenks… metahumans against metahumans."

"It makes sense, they are pretty smart about it," Waller said aloud to herself now as I was thinking of how sick that it was to use being others, metahumans or not, to do their dirty work and not have a trail behind them. I felt even angrier about it since it involved Chato and he was a victim of whatever game this was. It pained me, now knowing for certain that this was going to end well as the doors opened, having Flag come in and look right at me. The others looked too, but he was just staring at me now and I looked right back at me with a focused

"He's awake, and he wants to see you."


	8. Chapter 8

"No,"

I looked at Waller now in shock as she spoke up for me and she was giving Flag a hard look there. No one else moved in the room now as I watched her carefully now look over at me. She still had that hard look, the hard look of authority now as I found my voice again.

"I want to see my husband," I said to her calmly, trying very hard not to scream and get in more trouble with the doctor there and the others. Deadshot stayed in the middle now, watching back and forth like he was at a tennis match and keeping his own control there too.

"It's not safe for you to do that right now," Waller explained to me now as I moved my body to look over at her now and not the doctor. She was once again trying to keep something away from me. First, it was my father and his escape from prison, and now it was my husband in general. That was the tipping point now as I pointed my finger at her.

"I'm not going to let you keep me away from him," I warned him now as she tapped her side with her finger now, seeing that I was too stubborn or let this one go.

"Waller," Flag started with her as she kept her eyes on me and threw up her finger to hush him now, seeing him now go silent. She took in a deep breath, having me think that we were going to have a fight there in the middle of my room with a bunch of people watching. I didn't care, all I wanted to do was to get to my husband and make sure that he was okay. Whether he gave me pain or not, I knew he needed reassurance.

"Rose, I get that you want to see him—" She started, but I shook my head and jabbed at her again with my finger.

"I don't want to see him, Waller," I growled out at her now since I was fighting so hard not to hit her, "I want to know that he is okay and that he is not going to beat himself over something that was out of his control. You don't know my husband. I do, and I know that he needs me in there,"

"After what he did to you?" Waller asked, almost too cruelly now as Deadshot shot his head over to her now, something in him was switched on to be meaner than before.

"You have no goddamn right!" He yelled a there, his voice echoing in the room now as no one said a thing after that. Out of all the times for him to defend me and to have my back, this was the one time that I was glad that I had him the most. He stayed close by to enough to stop me, and yet enough space between us in case I needed it. Maybe he knew what it was like to have someone stop you from seeing someone you love. Like his own daughter, was he feeling the same?

Waller looked at the both of us now, sensing that she was going to be outnumbered there as she then carefully looked over at Flag, almost as if she was asking with her own eyes his own side to the story. I did the same, Flag giving her a reassuring look there as he found his own voice.

"He's doing fine in there, ma'am. He just wants to talk to her," He said in a calm way now, looking at me to have me see that he was telling the truth. Flag would never let us down either, I knew that too since we grew close as a friend after I sprung the prison. I finally looked back at Waller, knowing either way that she had the power to say yes or no about it. If there was any heart in there, I hope she would find it for me.

"Amanda," I said her first name, which was a first, "Please. Let me see him and talk to him."

* * *

"He's still going to be strapped down, but I'll be in there in case somethin' does happen," Flag instructed me as we were outside his door, having me look at him in question now.

"What do you think will happen with him?" I asked, but he sighed and shook his head,

"Anything according to the boss," I nodded in agreement, taking in a deep breath and I reached over to touch the handle before I stop myself. I slowly looked over at Flag again, who looked concern since I wasn't busting in to see Chato within seconds.

"How is he, really?" I asked him now in a low tone since it was just the two of us there in that hallway. It felt uneasy, with the inconstant humming of the air coming in from the vents and the almost shuttle flickering of the fluorescent lights over the both of our heads. I was trying to read his face, to get some kind of clue as to what he was going to tell me before he opened his mouth. But this time, I got no clue.

"He's beatin' himself up because of what happened, I've never seen him like this before, Rose," He said in his honest opinion, in which I paused and looked back at the door in front of me. Was this a good idea? Why was I doubting this now? It was supposed to be so obvious for me to do this, to see him and make sure that he was alright. But that hesitancy was still there now as I felt Flag tentatively touch my arm there with his fingerless gloved hands. It felt like an award pat on my shoulder, but a nice one none the less. He cared, I knew he did.

"Go in there and talk to him," Flag said in a kind way, not like an order. I watched him then, seeing him nod in encouragement as I took a deep breath and I pushed the handle down seeing it open in front of me.

Walking in, the first thing I noticed was the straps there on the bed, already having him down tight and not being able to make him move. I heard the door close behind me as I looked up to see his face, but he was looking away from me and over to the window. Was he not wanting to see me now? Why was he not wanting to look at me directly in the eye? Once the doors closed, the small sound echoing in the smaller room, I waited. I had to think.

How was I going to do this?

Slowly, trying not to spook him, I walked over to the side of the bed where he was facing away from me, watching him carefully to see what he was going to and what he was gong to say. I shouldn't be afraid of him, I knew I'm better than the others in the Squad did. We both knew each other very well, and yet it was like we were meeting all over again with the same awkwardness and uneasiness of the situation.

Chao looked like he was trying so hard not to look at me like he was fighting the urge there to just look at me. There was no more anger, but sadness and guilt. God, I hated that look of guilt that he would have sometimes, whether we would talk about our own pasts or just something that was eating away at him. I took another step over, sensing that it was close enough, and I waited for him to make the first move and get this started with the both of us.

"How bad did I hurt you?"

Of course, that would be his first question at me, in which I tried to play it out in my head the best way for me to answer that and not get yelled at by him in return.

"It's not bad," I lied, seeing him shake his head slowly as he was still looking out that window and refusing to look at me. It made sense now as to why he was giving me the cold shoulder: he didn't want to see the damage is inflicted. I would be doing the same if I was the one strapped to the chair, but then again Chato would then try to have me look. There was never a time when we couldn't face one another, and this wasn't going to be the start of that.

"Don't lie. I remember it all," He said softly, not in a bitter way, but it was close to being bitter.

"The doctor explained it to me," I reassured.

"He knows I was fucked up in the head?" Chato asked as I interjected.

"You were controlled, not fucked up," I said back to him, trying to be calm but hating his self-loathing and how he was bringing himself down. I sighed, feeling the movements of the bruises on my skin around my neck as I tried to think of another approach to this.

"I know it wasn't you that did that," I explained, seeing him almost turn his head to me but not by much, confusion as written on his face from what I said.

"How do you know?" He asked very softly and almost with a hint of fear, in which I took another set towards him.

"Because whoever did that to me back there did not have the same warmth as you do," I replied in an answer now, watching him carefully to his reaction. But once again, I got nothing out of him. I sighed, rubbing my back of my neck where it wasn't sore and trying to think of a way to make this right for the both of us. But how was I going to do that? I moved over a bit now more, seeing him watch the window without moving an inch as I then was about to reach out to him, to at least have him feel my touch there so that he knew that I wasn't scared or hurt.

"Chato," I said to him in my calm manner and not urgent, "Look at me."

"No…" He replied in almost a broken way, already thinking that he couldn't handle seeing me like this. But I tried again, not wanting to back away or to just leave it.

"Please, Chere," It was almost a way of me coaxing it out of him using the one term that I could only use on him. I saw thin turn a bit towards m, having me realize that I was playing dirty with him by using his pet name on him. But I wanted this to be over, this feeling he was holding over himself and how it was eating away at him. I reached out then, no long wanting to be patient with him as I grasped his upper arm there under my fingers. He stayed so still then, with my hold on him beyond gentle and not even close to being forceful. But he thought about it, at least it looked like it from my view there as he then slowly moved his head over in my direction now, finally locking eyes with me.

I saw it, I saw the plague of shame and guilt in those eyes that I fell in love with and the thought of hurting someone close to him, again. It was all over his face to the point that he looked like he lost sleep because of it. I wanted to cry from seeing how torn up and how damaged he was looking and probably feeling.

His eyes went to my neck, and he lost it. He closed his eyes, no longer able to stare at me there and I could see he wanted to just curl up in a ball and no longer exist. He was shifting uncomfortably in his spot there,e but not able to move away from me and hide as I knew he would. But I knew that it was his way of coping and trying to get out of what he knew was his nightmare. I kept my hand there as I could see him slowly losing it all over again.

"It's okay," I said to him in a soothing manner, stroking his skin there with my thumb and fingers there as he shook his head.

"It's not," He said, not as a bark but short enough where ti did hurt him seeing the bruises there on my skin, "It's not okay. I did that to you."

"No, you didn't," I said in a stern manner, wanting him to get out of the thought once and for all, "Those people there did that, not you. I know you, I really know you, and you would never do that to me or anyone close to you," He looked back down at my hand there on his arm, seeing how I was still so close to him and not moving away in hate or in disgust. He needed to come back to where we were again, back to when we were tough together, tough and good and almost indestructible. I wanted to have that back, for the both of us.

"Don't leave me here," I whispered to him as a last minute attempt to just have him know that I was in this whole thing that he was going through. It made me stay still when I said that to him, having em wonder if I said the wrong them. Did it sound desperate? Did it sound wrong when I said it? I felt like I was needing to backtrack when I finally realized what it meant and how Chato took it. Back when we were in Midway City when we both were still trying to figure out our feelings for one another, and when I almost died from saving him from being killed. I remembered being unconscious, but hearing him sounding desperate in my ear:

 _"No. no no no please no…please wake up. Don't do this, come on."_

He tried to pull me back, even when we barely knew out feelings for one another. And it felt like it was my turn to do the same when I knew he could be the side of Chato I knew. He sighed, looking at me again and I could once again see that small glimmer of hope there, the warmth that I knew he had. It scared me that I almost lost him, but from that one look, I knew he was back again.

"You don't hate me…" he said it in a statement, in which I shook my head softly at him.

"I would never hate you," I promised. He breathed out slowly and I squeezed his arm there, scooting a bit closer to him, "Just know that I'm going to be here with you and help you in any way that I can," I slowly moved me hand down to where his hand was and I laced our fingers there once again. He held onto me tightly, having me feel the tension there in his hold with me and how he was still trying to fight his own demons.

"You shouldn't be with someone like me," He stated to me in almost a mourning manner, but I once again shook my head from how he was still trying to bring himself down, even when I was still staying close to him and not leaving him.

"Well, you're stuck with me from the moment you kissed me," I reminded him, seeing him look a bit warmer there, like his old self again now as He stared at me, a smaller smile still on his lips. He was slowly coming back to his normal self again now as I leaned over and gave him a sweet kiss there. He stayed still, but he didn't move away now as I held the kiss and wanted it to be imprinted there on his own lips, as a reminder of how much as I cared about him. I even framed his face there in my hands, feeling the cooling warmth of his skin against my own. I could feel it up and down my own spine as I pulled away and rested my forehead against his own, the both of us saying nothing for a moment or so now as I spoke in a mere whisper almost against his lips.

" _te amo mucho mi amor_." I said to him, seeing him watch me as I said that to him in hopes that he understood within himself that I was staying behind him. He slowly nodded his head again, leaning in to kiss me again and keep it softer and gentler than the first kiss that we had moments before. I felt him trying to press his kiss against me a bit more if it wasn't for the restraints there that were holding him back and against the bed.

"I'm so sorry, _mi amor_ ," he said against my lips there, over and over as another mantra as I still stayed close and framed his head there in my fingers, "I'm so so sorry."

" _I know, Chere_ ," I reassured him as I could feel him move near me against the restraints there on the bed, having me really wish that I could just move them and get him free. But it would get the both of us in more trouble than what it's worth, "We're going to get through this, and I'll make sure that bastard that did this to you will pay."

"Rose.…" Chato was about to argue with me, but I moved away a bit for him to see my whole face.

"He did this to you and almost destroyed our family. I won't let him do that again."

* * *

We found another place that they were about to explode on a harmless group of citizens, and for once, we had the upper hand.

Jenks was a great sense of source for us when it came to other Metahuman gatherings and disappearances. He knew more that I thought anyone would with his kind of power, knowing how to network with other Ring Leaders and who left their own clubs. Because of his ability, he got out more information from those who came to that club in Seattle, in which we got the upper hand in return for his services. We would provide protection for his club, and he would then provide information and some insight as to where Haven was going to strike next. I even asked him if he wanted to help us in the fight, in which he just smiled and shook his head when we met him again at the club a day after I talked to Chato.

"I don't do well with getting my hands dirty. But thanks for the offer."

The tip that he gave us lead us to a hospital that was int e outskirts of Atlanta Georgia. It looked like a normal hospital on the outside, but Jenks explained that some of the Haven workings there in the plain sight at the hospitals, the smaller ones where they would send metahumans that were taken and get them injected with the sam serum that they injected in Chato that night in the club. He was about to get out of one of his captured soldiers where the main headquarters where Haven was, but they opted for suicide in the end before anything else was brought to light. He reminded me that he would let me know as soon as he coaxes it out of his new victim.

Chato had to stay behind since Waller was still suspicious about his well being and what he was capable of because of the serum still inside of him, but it was barely there. Even with the reassurance of the doctor, Waller wanted to be sure. I wanted to argue with her, but even Chato thought it would be good idea that he would sit this one out and not push it. So I was going to fight for the both of us.

So far, we were already in for a fight.

We landed on the roof of the hospital, all of us going down the stairs that lead to the roof over to the third floor, the same floor that we got the tip from Jenks thanks for his interrogation. This floor had most of the medical labs there that they would use for testing, and where Haven would use on their test subjects. We wanted to scout it out and see what we could find. Luckily for us, and maybe for them too, the knew we were coming.

It was just like before, a gang of those guerrilla guns for hire were waiting for us there as we descending down to that floor and opened the doors. It was a good thing that we knew what we were up against, well, mostly what we were up against. They were still just a tough as before, having us sweat as we threw them through glass doors and over counter tops. They too got a few good licks in here and there, but for me, it wasn't just to fix some kind of mission. This felt more personal than before because I knew what this serum was doing and how it would turn sane person insane within seconds. I wanted answers, not only for the sake of Chato but for myself.

I wanted to free the prisoners.

I had my whole diamond form out and working on overtime as more of those goons were trying to pin me down, at least three of them were on me. It felt like I was the obvious one to pick on because I was one of the only metahumans there in the room other than Croc, but strength was on my side as I got them off of me. I threw one over a counter and heard his back crack as another was slammed down to the floor and the third was shot with diamond shards. I looked over my shoddier at 5 of those goons jumping in Croc, one of them had a thick needle in their hand and it made me panic. They were going to get to Croc as well as the needle was about to pierce the skin.

The others were fighting off their own sets of goons as I ran over to the one who was about to get Croc, grabbing him by the back of his neck and hoisting him in the air. He struggled in my hand, shoving the needle down to get me on the skin. But the metal needle clashed with my diamond skin, not even piercing it as it fell to the floor from the impact. Croc roared behind me as he grabbed the four that were on him and disposed of him. I watched the goon in my hand there as he was looked at me in horror now.

"What's in the serum?" I asked him, seeing him watch me as he said nothing now. I wanted to really just kill the guy for trying that on me, but then again we were still trying to find some kind of answer to this whole thing. He said nothing now as I then looked over at Croc to the side as he walked over to me, looking at my goon in a menacing way.

"Hand me the needle, will you?" I asked Croc, seeing him growl now as he leaned down and handed me the needle that was almost broken. I took it, then holding it very close to the goon's skin in an effort to have him talk.

"W-what makes you think I'll talk?" he asked me in a scared manner as the others were walking over to me now and see what I was doing.

"Because either I can jab this in your throat and watch what it does to you, or have him do it," I explained, Croc growling behind me in a sinister way as the goon was now shaking in my grip, "All we want to know if who to talk to about the stuff?"

"He won't talk," Croc said to me in a low tone, thinking that we were at a dead end there. I didn't want a dead end, I wanted the ultimate end to this whole thing. This was not going to be okay with me now as I looked over at Croc now, nodded at him as I looked back at the goon.

"He'll jam it in," I said to the goon in a low tone as Croc was about to grab the needle there, the goon finally speaking up and breaking the silence.

"It's a mind control toxin," He said in a stammer, looking at me with wide eyes in hopes that I liked what I was hearing, "Whoever has that in their blood stream apparently will be controlled."

"By who?" I asked him again.

"We don't know, we're just told to drug up the metahumans they pick for us," He explained, now having me tilt my head at him now in confusion.

"Who picks them?" Deadshot asked now, having me not go quiet again as I was drinking it in. Someone was controlling them, and they were picking whoever they wanted for the serum and who they wanted as either as pawns in a game or as fire power. Either way, it felt like the were picking those whom they thought were worthy enough for their army, no wonder some of them were metahumans themselves. They were picked for the harvest, and how they were part of the process all over again.

"You better answer, youngin'," Deadshot said in a threat as he cocked his wrist gun and aimed it right between his eyes. He now had both a gun and a needle filled with drug aimed at him and a needle at the same time. He took in his own shaky breath there, almost like he was about to piss his pants from this happening to him. He only spoke one name:

"Dr. Adams."

* * *

"Mommy?" I looked up from the file of the next mission that we were about to embark on that would lead us closer to the end of this civil war that was brewing. Since I talk to Chato, he wanted me to make sure that Mary was okay since it would be downright impossible for Mary to get into the same room as Chato, all thanks to Waller herself. So it was up to me to make sure that she was okay, and I was having her for one night at the apartment, giving June a break from the babysitting.

"Honey, you should be asleep," I said to her as I got up from the desk and walked over to her. It was past her bedtime, and I thought that she was asleep and it would give me more time tor search on this Dr. Adams that we just found out about. But she was tucked out of her bed and around the corner, poking her head out from the door there and watching me with her crusty green eyes. I squatted down in front of her to smile, seeing the weariness on her face.

"Did you have another bad dream?" I asked her, seeing her shake her head. That was new, since she's been having more bad dreams from the house break in some time ago, and that killed both Chato and me on the inside out as she spoke up now in her soft tone.

"I miss daddy," I felt my heart breaking there as she said that with such a heartfelt manner. I opened my arms to her, feeling her melt in my arms and I snuggled her close. She felt safe there in my arms, small and fragile, but safe. I felt her wrap her arms around my neck and legs around my waist as I walked her over to where my bed was in my room. I knew this was going to be beyond hard for her, being away from the both of us since she was used to the three of us being constantly together. But it was hard for me too, I missed out moments as a family and now it was robbed for certain.

"Come here, _ma douce_ ," I said to her in a soothing fashion as I sat up on the bed against the pillows and she rested her head on my chest, something she would do to hear my heartbeat and to calm herself down, "I miss daddy too."

"Why can't I see him? Auntie June told me that I can't see him," She explained as I stroked her hair.

"Daddy got hurt, and he needs to get better," I answered as simply as I could there as she breathed in and out in her even manner.

"I can make him better," She said almost in a stubborn tone, in which I smiled and kissed her hair. She was still so optimistic about everything and anything that involved her parents, including her father. She adored him, seeing him as the moon if not bigger than the moon.

"I know you can, you're very good at it too," I reassured her as she snuggled into me some more, "Trust me, baby, daddy misses you too and he wants to come home," Mary was feeling the effect of the whole nightmare that we were living in, even with me trying to make it not part of her life. She was far too young for something like this, and now that one of her parents was almost lost to the fight, I was afraid that she might lose the other one. Chato and I both were trying not to have Mary loose one parents, let alone both of us.

"I love you, mommy," She said to me in her murmur, about to fall sleep there against my chest. I cringed a bit from all the damage that was still around us, and yet she was still pure at heart and seeing things in a ray of light. I held her close now, trying to have her feel my love towards her now as I was thinking of what I had to do with Mary.

"I love you too," I said to her now as she fell asleep in my arms.

I had to contact Harley.


	9. Chapter 9

"How's flame boy?" I was sitting across from Harley there in a coffee house where I asked her to meet in secret since it felt like I was going to be watched wherever I would go and in whatever I would do. After I met with Chato and I saw that it was going to take a bit for him to get back to normal, I knew that I was going to have to rely on more people than just Waller. So far, she was as much help as the next guy that would really want to use me, which was not what I needed there with my family. I had to focus on my family again, and it almost meant bringing someone into the circle.

Harley got my message right away, and after asking her over and over to have her bring herself and nothing else or no one else with her, we met at a coffee shop in a remote part of town there along in the late afternoon. I was mostly covering up the bruises, a scarf around my neck there and wearing an easy going leather jacket that Chato got me for my birthday some time ago with his work money. And for once, Harley was dressed as normal as she could be with her hair moved away to not be completely seen and her makeup was at a low final. Honestly, it felt like I was looking at a stranger other than my friend, I didn't recognize her for a second.

"He's still…not himself," I explained to her in a tentative manner now as we were sitting outside on the porch there at the coffee house, her sunglasses were covering her face there but she was watching me the whole time there with intrigue, "Whatever they pumped into him was very strong and almost changed him permanently."

"What is the stuff anyhow?" She asked me since she was now hooked on the topic because of how it was affecting both Chato and myself.

"The doctor at the prison said it was some kind of stuff that they would use on patients to numb or control their brain, almost like psychosis or some shit," I explained in a gruff manner as I thought about it some more and it was still having me feel uneasy just thinking about what they were trying to pump into the metahumans in there, "And apparently, some of the goons that are working for this Adams guy are metahumans themselves, with this serum pumping in them and turning them into soldiers and robots."

"Sounds kind of fun, for a demented person," Harley said to me, not making it sound like a joke but more of a statement than anything. I shifted a bit there in my chair, and I could see her tilting her head at me now as she could see that I was still amazed about the whole situation with Chato and how it almost broke everything there that we had. She reached over then, resting her hand there on my arm and I could see some of her tattoos there along her skin poking out slightly in the light there.

"Rose…you look like shit because of this whole….this whole thing," Harley stated to me, almost like she was worried about it and was just trying to tell me though her words and in how she was watching me that she was concerned. If only she was around more, to see what was going on and with what we were going through. Not just with the squad, but with my family and home life too. I slowly reached up to move my scarf away from my neck slowly, feeling the chill of the wind there hit my still fragile skin there.

As soon as my neck was exposed, out in the open, I saw her clenching her coffee cup there in a death grip, her eyes were trained right on my neck there and she looked like she was about to murder something. The coffee cup in her grasp broke then, shattering and the pieces were scattering all over the floor in a heart. Thankfully, not a whole lot of people were around to hear and see to judge what was going on, and I sighed as she looked down at the damaged cup there in her hand and she almost gasped from the sudden look of strength that she had there.

"Way to keep it cool there, Harley," I said under my breath as she tried to get some of the coffee she ordered off her hand by using the napkin on the table. She leaned back then, taking a deep breath herself now as she was trying to contain the anger that I knew she was having underneath her skin there. And I thought Chato was the one that was angry about this, from what I was seeing there in front of me, she was furious compared to Chato.

"So these guys….they're the ones who did that?" She asked me, motioning to my neck there as I leaned forward a bit and took my own cup there within my hands to get some of the chills off of me.

"Whatever they have in that serum can change a reasonable person into something deadly." I explained to her calmly, the rethinking of what happened with Chato and how he was no the same Chato that I knew, "You should have seen him, Harley. He wasn't the same, even in his eyes he was different."

"And they've done this to others?" She asked, wanting more information about this since she was trying to remain cool and collective, which so far she was doing a great job about it.

"We don't know how many," I answered, "Jenks, the guy I told you about, he thinks there might be hundreds affect with it." Harley thought to herself then, looking away for a moment or two there because of what I told her. I had to think that she had some kind of central core of emotions, not that she was only going off the rails every once awhile in her life because of who she was in love with. She was good, deep somewhere in there she was good. Chato and I knew that, along with our daughter who saw her as an amazing superhero of a person. Mary never saw her crazy side, and yet Harley was still not some kind of threat to us. I once again thought of back when we were scouted out at our house and how we were almost killed, I wanted to ask her, but it wasn't coming out of my mouth then.

"I need you to do me a favor," I said to her, now knowing why I was really there in the first place to meet with her in broad daylight. She looked back at me again now, some of her anger was still simmering there but it was not as bad as before.

"Find the bastard and kill him?" She asked in a cool manner, almost having a small smile on her lips there as I shook my head. I knew she would ask something like that since she was still within her crazy mindset. I took in my own shaky breath there, thinking that this could be some kind of bomb that I was about to step on.

"I need you to watch Mary for me."

She shifted in her seat there, not believing what she was hearing from me as I stayed calmed about it now. I knew what I was doing, but from how she was looking at me, she thought I was talking crazy. Now the roles were reversed.

"What are you talkin' about?" She asked me finally, having me breathe out slowly as she was now spewing out some questions there that were starting up in her head, "What's going on with her? Is she in trouble? Who do I have to kill—"

"Harley, stop," I hushed her, thinking that she was about to start a scene about this whole thing now as she stopped then, "Nothing happened to her, nothing yet."

"Not followin'."

"Waller said she would watch Mary and make sure nothing happens to her. But given the circumstances, I don't think I can really rely on her word," I explained to her, seeing him scoff a bit from the information.

"I don't trust the bitch," She stated.

"None of us do, Harley. Believe me, we all really don't like her at this point given that she almost prevented me from seeing my husband after he had his episode," I explained, already thinking of the plenty of ways that I would want to kill Waller and make it look like an accident, "Since we're about to get our heads in some serious shit, I don't want Mary anywhere near her if something does happen."

"And you trust me?" She asked me, almost in unbelief there on her face as she was not believing what she was hearing. It was not she didn't have enough faith in herself to do something like that for someone like me, someone was so opposite of her and yet the same. I just smiled at her, not thinking of wanting to debate with her about this.

"Of course, I know that both Chato and myself would not be able to trust her with anyone else since you're her Godmother," I reassured her, seeing her crack a small smile at me from what I told her and how warm I was to her. Maybe that was a new concept for her, something being warm and content with her. That part made em worry about her own life and who she was with. The Joker, being someone who was not at all a normal boyfriend at all, might be doing more damage to her than I thought before.

"June will be fine with it, trust me. I think she's going to help us more with the mission and with Mary with you, it'll be better for her and Flag," I explained some more there, think thinking about another request that I had with her now as it felt like I was about to go on egg shells with her. This could either make this conversation go smoothly or blow it up all over my face.

"I need you to do this….without Joker,"

She paused, pursing her lips there in front of me in almost a shock there from what I was asking. I had to be sure that Mary was safe, and what I was seeing with The Joker and what he has done in the past that would be downright dangerous, it would really scare me and not put me at ease with Mary being anywhere near her. I know for a fact that Chato would not let that happen, he wouldn't let her anywhere near The Joke ever if we had no other choice. I had to make sure that we both were going to be staffed with her safety, and it was only going to happen with Harley, and Harley alone.

"Now you know that I can't do a whole lot without Puddin." She tried to reason with me, the way she said his nickname already showed that she was sick in love with him. I was leaning more on the end of the scale of it not being healthy at all and more on the crazy psychotic end, but once again I was not going to say anything. I knew she was going to try and bring him into the equation, but I had to make sure that I was going to be stern with her and show here that I was not going to back down there in our meeting.

"Harley," I said her name again, this time, it sounded stern instead of warm and calm. She saw it too, the smile slowly moving away from her lips now and she was no longer playful about it. This was a serious talk that we were having, not like the regular jokes and banter that we would have in the past. But if there was one thing that she was going to be serious about, it was her role as my daughter's Godmother and her protection. She knew then that I was needing her to do this, and that she had to go by my rules there without talking her way out of it.

"Okay," She said calmly now, seeing that I was struggling with this whole situation, maybe being on the verge of tears there since it was all too much. What happened to Chato and with me, with Mary being in the middle of the whole thing, and how it felt like we were isolated there and away from the others, "You got it, honey. Nothing's gonna happen to that little gem of yours okay? I won't let anyone hurt her, you know that, right?" She reached over to touch my hand there, in hopes that I understood that she was telling the truth and I was going to believe her.

I wanted to believe her, a part of me was believing her from the gecko. But then again I knew that she was a wild card and something could come up instead. But the look in her eyes when she took off her glasses and I finally saw her eyes there. They weren't dolled up like before, not like when she would be her normal self. She looked…not like herself. But I knew her eyes, they were warm and almost calming there. Maybe it was her way to hide what she was feeling, but I knew she was good deep inside.

"I know you wouldn't," I said back to her, feeling her squeeze my hand there now as she smiled at me, her award winning smile there that I knew and was used to.

"You need help with whatever's going on?" She asked me, "I know people that can help."

"What kind of people are we talking about here, Harley?" I asked, seeing her grin at me once more now as she was back to her old self.

"You know I can let the surprise be spoiled."

* * *

"He's one of the more well-known scientists around the world. But recently he's been more on the…uneasy side with sanity. Recently in the past few years, he's been the laughing stalk of the scientific and government circles, since that he proposed to whom was beyond crazy and almost impossible,"

"Sounds like a reasonable guy to me,"

"Well if you think so yourself when he's more on the side of insanity," Waller explained as we were watching his face there on the projector that she placed for us. We were back at the prison, getting our bearings before we knew we were going to face him, and since my talk with Harley I was more at ease with the fact that Mary was going to be taken care of. She was going to pick her up tonight before we were going to go on our mission. It was just the matter of us trying to sneak her away from Waller and having her not know where Mary was going to be.

"So, this guy's been trying for almost two decades to have the serum that could make a regular human turn into a metahuman," Waller explained to us as I was watching his guys face in front of me and seeing how normal he looked in his doctor's jacket, maybe it being his professional picture from his medical branch.

"He was top of his class, almost one of the most brilliant minds of this century when it came to genetics. Until he thought he could alter a person's DNA, making them more than the should since they weren't born a met human naturally," Waller went on, clicking for the next slide and we saw him standing in front of some kind of hospital there with his name on the side. He looked smug, his arms crossed in front of him like he was striking a professional pose.

"He brought the notion to the other doctors there, his peers, and they laughed at him, thinking that it was downright impossible. The grants he needed to kickstart the program and the study was both denied by the other Doctors and the Supreme Court itself. It broke him down and made him lose his own sanity, taking him out of the public eye for good and people thinking that he went out of his mind." There were now articles of him there on the screen and in how he apparently went insane and lost his mind, leaving the public eye for good.

"But apparently he was not gone, as the public thought he was. He got privet investors, mainly one of them being the company called Haven. They're an all muscle kind of company that others would hire to beef up appearances and help eliminates those in their path. In short, they're hired muscle. The higher the pay, the more they are willing to do anything and everything to satisfy their employers," The next slide was of the sigma for Haven, what looked to be a black bird with its wings spread out and the feathers were seen. I have never seen this kind of organization before, not even in the news.

"They're a private organization, no one knows about them unless they are needed, and they like to keep it that way. Some of the men enlisted int he group are ex-military, even ex-CIA or FBI. They are tough, they are lethal, and they are killers. Haven as hired by Dr. Adams to find willing subjects, and unwilling ones too, to bring to him in order for him to go on with his work privately. " Waller explained as she tapped the screen with her finger there, having me rethink it all in my head. Those goons, some of them that we fought in the past were these Haven guys that were lethal weapons with just their hands alone. No wonder some of them were hard to fight and hard to kill when we faced them.

"What we are up against, is tougher than what we ever faced before when it comes to manpower. We don't know how many metahumans they injected with the mind control serum, or how many humans they tried to turn into metahuman themselves, but we are not seeing this as another picnic like we have in the past. This has to end now, or else we don't know what else this organization is going to do in the future," I knew that was true, I knew we had to stop these guys from doing anything else to innocent people. from playing God when it wasn't their right to play God. And from the looks on the other's faces, they were thinking the same thing as well.

They wanted to kill the bastard.

* * *

"Auntie Harley is going to take care of you for a little while," I reassured Mary now as June and Harley were talking to one another in a hushed tone facing each other and not moving an inch as we were outside my apartment later that day. After the meeting with the others about the plan of going out to stop Haven. Mary was still exposed, at least in my mind when it came to Waller. For some reason, I had the thought of Waller using Mary over my head in order for me to do her dirty work. It felt like it, so it meant that I wasn't going to have her stick around in case it would be possible.

"Why can't I stay with you?" She asked me now as she was clutching her fluffy unicorn that Boomerang gave her. She was not liking this, I could see it on her face tough she was not saying it. I felt as though I was disappointing her again, which was not what I had in mind in being her mother.

"Honey, it's going to be dangerous where I'm going, and I want you safe," I explained, seeing her shake her head.

"I'm brave, mommy. I know I'm brave." She said it almost in a stubborn way, having me want to smile there since she clearly got me from both her mother and her father.

"You are so brave, _ma douce_. Braver than me I think," I explained as I stroked her long hair that she would refuse to cut, looking past her and seeing June and Harley nodding in agreement there as I looked back at her, "But I need you safe, safe and away from anything that could hurt you. You know that I'll always protect you, remember?" I asked her now, seeing her slowly nod her head since I would tell her that constantly when she was younger or afraid of the dark.

"Yes, mommy," She answered, having me give her a shaky smile since she sounded so pure about it.

"After this is all over I'm going to come and get you. You, daddy and I are going to go far away from here and it'll be the three of us again," I promised her, seeing some of her hair flying in front of her face from the wind. I moved the strays away from her eyes and I saw how beautiful they were, reminding of her father tough they were green like mine. They were still good, warm and good. I love her eyes, they made me fall in lover with her over and over again.

"Promise?" She asked me as if she didn't believe me. I nodded my head, rubbing her cheek with my fingers there in hopes that it would bring her more peace about it.

"With all my heart."

* * *

"Harley's going to take care of Mary for the time being until we can get this situation under control," I explained to Chato as we were meeting in his room again, but this time the restraint came off. The Doctor gave the green light that he no longer has the serum in his system after another test on him. It was good for our part, since he was back to normal, and yet we were still being watched by Waller as some kind of threat. She as not going to let him go just yet, not while she had the chance.

"Can she take care of her?" Chato asked me now as we were facing each other, hammering out the details there as it was getting closer to the time when we were going to go on the mission.

"You know she can take good care of her," I said to him, nodding in agreement with myself mostly since it seemed as though we could trust Harley with our daughter, "She won't do anything to Mary that would harm her, you know that."

"Yeah, yeah I know," Chato said with a sigh as he rubbed his eyes there in both tiredness and frustration, "Weller's gonna find out sooner or later."

"Better later when we finish this mission and she doesn't need us anymore," I explained, "We finish this, and the three of us go off the grid for good." I thought about it again, how I promised Mary that and it as haunting me. It was something we needed, and yet it was gnawing away at me like an old wound and how we were going to hurt plenty of people around us. Chato could see the uneasiness there on my face and in how I was silent again. He reached over to grasp my hand in his, holding it like a death grip and having me look at him again, seeing him give me a reassuring look that was comforting.

"We're gonna be done with this, once and for all, Rose," he reminded me, pulling me over to him and holding me close against his body. There was no lust there, just comfort that this was all going to be over soon enough and we had nothing else to worry about from there on out. I breathed him in, the calming sensation of his scent was lingering some more as we were embracing one another.

"Harley knows Waller's going to be after her," I mumbled into his shoulder there as I rested my head near his neck, feeling him stroke my back in soothing circles.

"And June knows how to cover up her trail," Chato reminded me, "It's going to be okay, Rose."

"You're so optimistic," I pointed out to him, feeling him move my head up to look at him directly in the eyes now, close enough to kiss him nut not moving at all now as he scanned my eyes.

"I learned that from you," He explained, having me slowly smile at him. Even after he thought he killed me and our marriage from what happened to him, he was still going on this crazy ride with me. For the sake of Mary, for the sake of our marriage, and for the sake of our future in general. We were about to go to war with something that was not even close to familiar, which could mean the end of us all together. But I was glad to go in it with someone like him, and I felt like he was thinking the same thing too.

We kissed there in the room, sealing our fate and what was to come.


	10. Chapter 10

The plane hummed as we were sitting there in our seats, looking out the window of the small chopper that we were going to take into the Haven headquarters. Apparently, Dr. Dams got word that we were looking for him, and he went off running to his goons' place of work, thinking that it was enough to keep at bay and to not have us communing after him. On the other hand, it was perfect for us since the place was set up close near the dirt of New York, almost near the city itself but far off not to bring enough casualties.

I could see the cool dimness of the night, my earpiece that they gave me was already giving off the familiar buzz that was both haunting and soothing at the same time since it felt like old times back on missions. But this one felt different, it felt more serious than the others and more was at stake. I sat next to Chato on one side, and Deadshot on the other side. Boomerang and Croc were across from us with Katana and Flag, along with some of his men there that were assigned to come along. Of course, Waller was going to stay behind and talk to me us from her safe house, and I felt my leg tapping there against Chato's and my foot tapping over and over again on the top of the surface there. It felt like the first mission all over again, the nervousness there that was nearing up on me and then staying there, not falling away. I tried to rebate, but it wasn't working. It tried to think of Mary, and her face when she would see us coming back again from the mission. But still, that wasn't working all in my favor. It was making me sick that I was going into the location like this; worried and afraid.

Chato squeeze my hand there, having me look over at him now and see him watch me with his own set of worry on his face and within his eyes. We both were in the same boat, not one was more optimistic than the other. That seemed better for me since the only thing that we would hear in that moment was the roaring of the plane and the blues swirling in the air.

"You know, I'm thinkin' the wee one's next birthday, she would make it a princess theme with swords."

We all looked to see Boomerang there, him staring at the both of us and having a small smile on his face. Such an odd thing to talk about, now in the beginning of a life or death mission and we watching him at first in confusion as to why he would do that. But it slowly came over me what he was doing: he was distracting the pair of us there. I grinned at him too, thinking that was a good thought about it, our future as a group and almost as a family.

"You mean like Katana's swords?" Deadshot asked, then looking at Katana herself and seeing her slowly smile too, a genuine beautiful smile on her face.

"Yeah. can you imagine, though? The little one's got a mean arm when it comes to swingin' things around her head! She can move like a bloody ninja that one!" Boomerang answered, Flag almost chuckling a bit now as he was getting in on the conversation. It was an odd thing to talk about, but it was like e were having our own time together instead of being on a plan and going to a mission. I wasn't going to lie, it felt nice. I felt Chato soothing my hand with his thumb over and over like a mantra as they went on with the topic.

"Purple and pink katanas?" Flag asked in a suggestion.

"Make them black," Croc growled in agreement.

"Naw, she doesn't do black," Chato said with a snort, "Maybe dark blue or somethin'." We all chuckled there, the comfortable silence coming over us again there as it was sinking in once again in the chopper and we were getting closer and closer to our destination. I sighed, looking down at my lap there and thinking back to the possibility of not being able to come home to her, to have another chance of a family with her and Chato.

"You two are goin' back to her," I looked up at Deadshot, seeing him point to the both of us now with his gloved finger as if it was a solid promise that he was making, "You know that, right?"

"Yeah," Chato replied, shifting to sit closer to me now even though we were strapped into the seat, "We know, homie."

"Ain't nobody gonna take her mom and dad away from her," Croc agreed in a snarl, nodding at me in agreement as I slowly smiled at him. They were not only part of our family with Mary, they were part of our family long before she came into the picture. They were supportive of Chato when he wasn't the villain in his own right, and they were supportive of em when I wasn't a villain at all. They never saw me as one, nor did they turn me away because I wasn't one. it was the family I wished I wanted the whole time. And now that I had them, I wasn't going to give them up that easily.

"He's right. Mary won't' be alone," Boomerang said in agreement, Flag nodding and smiling at me now as he too was in agreement with what was on the table. I smiled at all of him, Chato squeezing my hand there too since I wasn't the only one feeling this way.

"Get ready, the target destination will be up in one minute."

* * *

We got off the plane, looking up at the main facility there that seemed more like a fortress. The chopper flew off as it was just a handful of us now. We walked over to the front doors there, most of it was made of glass and stone, almost looking hollow instead of warmth there was it was bigger and almost bulky in size. It started to rain, the drizzle there giving the place a glassy look as we were walking together in a line,w weapons out and ready and having me look around to see if we were going to have some kind of snipers there that would take us out. But nothing was seen, nothing yet. I had to be sure, had to be sure that we were going to make it out of this thing in on piece.

Together.

Flag went in first, gun out and aimed as well as Deadshot behind him and the rest of us coming through. Boomerang had his two boomerangs out, one for surveillance and the other for his weaponry, and Chato's hands have been already fiery in case of an attack. Croc has his claws out and ready, my hands were diamond formed and the SEALS were behind me. Everything as quiet in the massive lobby there, not a person to be found. It was all pristine, having me see on the wall some of the famous people and employers of the past that they worked for and maybe killed for. I knew some of them, but others I had no clue, but it was no real surprise.

"Boomerang," Flag said, looking over his shoulder at Boomerang himself, "Chuck it."

I could hear the whistle of the boomerang flying through the air as he sailed it over to the left side, Boomerang pulling out his phone and looking at the picture there to control his tool and see what it was showing him. I walked around a bit, both of my hands were itching to be used but nothing just yet now as he tapped his phone a few times.

"Nothing on the east side. Deserted," He explained as I could hear the boomerang whistling back to him. He caught it with ease, sending it in the opposite hall at the other side of the room now and doing the same thing over again. We waited a few seconds, then hearing something come over on the speakers there in the lobby.

"We didn't expect a late night visit, only sooner from the likes of you."

The voice sounded a bit sinister, almost like he was expecting us after all. We all stopped what we were doing and we wait4ed for him to say something else, almost sounding too much of himself. I wanted to see this guy myself and ask him a few things to get things straight, or just to kill him.

"If you're here to stop my plans for making bigger and better plans for the metahuman race, a word of caution: don't try to stop me," I cringed a bit since his voice sounded a bit off. It almost sounded robotic, not like a natural voice that I would think he would have. It almost sounded masked, and it made me wonder what kind of person we were dealing with. I looked over at Flag, seeing that he too was having a confusing look on his own face as well from what he was hearing int he voice.

"Sounds like a fucked up guy," Deadshot said in a gruff now as I could hear Boomerang tap his phone once more.

"We got movement along the south corridor, over near the main hall" He explained as he looked at his phone. All of us were slowly walking over to that area, keeping our guards up and not making more sounds that we should. I could see that it was leading us to some kind of big great room, almost as big as one of the main quads in Belle Reeve. High walls that were itching up, levels upon levels of balconies and doors leading to god knows where, and the eery feeling that we were about to go into come kind of trap. Our footsteps were heard, nothing more and the occasional movement of the guns in our hands there as we were turning the corner and seeing the room right in front of us,

We must have looked so small there in that room, only a handful of us in some kind of great dome of a room. It was almost an eery tint of blue from the night life there outside the building and the chill of the big room was hunting there. Once we took a few more steps in, we heard the voice again now, but instead of it sounded a bit off in a hallway, it was a bit louder and booming in that huge room.

"Last chance to turn away,"

"We ain't going nowhere!" Deadshot said in a booming tone as if he was trying to show that he wasn't afraid. I wasn't afraid either, I was feeling a bit on the intimidating side, but not even close to being afraid.

"Hold your ground there, I see movement ahead," Waller said our earpieces now. We heard nothing for a moment or so, which now as getting us a bit agitated there since nothing was happening just yet. We then heard some movements in front of us, far ahead of us in the darkness and within the shadows of the other side of the room which seemed yards and yards away. We all looked ahead, still seeing nothing at first. But then, there was moments of the darkness, almost like figures but nothing concrete just yet. Was this what we were facing?

Flag and Deadshot cocked their guns, the rest of us were standing in a stern position and we were ready for whatever it was. The form there in the blackness were getting more intense and precise. Then, I knew what we were facing, taking a few steps back a bit and trying to contain the twinge of fear that I was feeling there down my skin.

A mob. A mob of metahumans.

"You think small batch like yourselves, can face someone like me?" The voice asked as I saw more and more faces there right in front of us, watching us with hunger in their eyes and hate. They looked like normal people, in normal clothes and such, but I knew that they were under the spell that the serum had within it. It was the same with Chato, I knew that look and how they were more in a trance than anything. This was more mind control, I could feel it in how they were watching us with blank looks on their faces. One of those faces was that hotshot of a guy, the one will the bullhorn in LA at Dodger Stadium. He was in the front of the army, almost like he was the head of the jobI could see Chato hesitating there next to me, staying a bit close to me now as I could see more and more of those faces there, almost like we were facing an army there. There and to have been at least 300 of those guys there, if not 400.

A battalion versus a whole army. Great.

"You only have three metahumans in your mists, why have them fight for a cause that is against them?" The voice asked, having Chato and I look at each other and then at Croc, whom also looked at the pair of us. I tapped my hand down there near my pant leg, feeling my phone there and was so close to tapping it. I was very tempted.

"They don't belong to you," Flag warned the voice, shifting in his boots there as he said it in a possessive manner now. The voice chuckled there as if he heard a joke. I looked up and around, thinking that he was watching us and seeing that we were squirming there in front of him, almost like he was God with the magnifying glass in front of us little ants. He was about to burn us alive.

"Talbert," Deadshot said to me, having me look over at him now as he was placing his scope over his eye and giving me a look of determination, "Make the move."

"What move? What are you talking about?" Waller said in our earpieces, the others one by one now were watching me and nodding in agreement. Boomerang was grinning from ear to ear, Croc growled in approval, Chato gave me a reassuring look now that showed that he was behind me in this. I reached down into my pocket, taking out my phone there and holding it in my hand, my thumb so close to the top of the button that I was going to press to start out plan.

Waller didn't know a damn thing about our second plan.

We knew that just us alone was not enough to take over and win something like this, and I knew that it was more than just stopping a threat. This was going to be another world war if we weren't careful, and just to rely on a group of us was not enough. We had to face the facts, we had to bring more people in. And even though Waller wants this to be more tight knit of a mission, the more muscle we had behind us that knew these men more than we did, the better we were going to be.

So, we had a second opinion.

"Talbert, don't make me—" Waller said in a threatening manner.

"What? Kill me?" I asked her quietly, knowing that our group was the only one that was hearing this since they were the ones with the earpiece. I heard nothing on her end after I said that, and I didn't want to sound cocky though it sounded tempting,"It sucks knowing that you don't have the leverage over me anymore, doesn't it?"

No one said a word there, in which I clicked the button there, nothing happening for a moment or so. I seemed that the mob across from us, or mainly the hotshot there, was thinking that there was going to be some kind of massive explosion there. But since there was none of that, he smirked at me now, thinking that I won and he lost.

"Did you expect backup?" he yelled from across the way over to us, as if he was boasting a bit. I waited a few seconds, then hearing what I knew what was going to be heard because of my actions. It was almost like a dulling sound of something big coming, almost rumbling the ground beneath us as it was getting closer and closer. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the windows around us exploded and erupted into the room, the mob in front of us flinched in fright from the sudden abrupt of noise there. Out group stayed still as all of the window on our floor shattered with ease from some kind of force. As soon as the glass hit the ground, I held up the phone in front of them now, mostly in front of the hot head.

"We have another couple hundred metahumans that are out there, pissed off at what you're doing and ready to stop you," I wanted him in my own booming tone, seeing him look at the damage in front of him and almost analyzing it in his head. He was thinking of what he was going to do, I knew he was. It was now up to him, "All you need to do, is just let us talk to Dr. Adams."

He said nothing, looking at me dead in the eye now as he then yelled out some kind of battle cry. The mob started running towards us, roaring too behind him and I took in a breath.

"Never mind," I said now as we too started running towards them. it was two forces about to meet in the middle without a second thought, and ti felt like slow motion there as we were about to fight in the middle of that great room. I was getting my diamond form all over me now, Chato was engulfing himself in flames and the others were prepping themselves as we were bolting towards them. There was no hesitation, no slowing down and no going back as we were getting closer and closer, covering the floor there and then hearing more of a roar right behind us. I looked over my shoulder, seeing with relief what I knew was our second wave and secret plan.

Jenks, with his own army of metahumans.

The first one to collide sounded more like a boom in the night, a clash of sounds and there ringing in my ears from the constant as I ducked from one of the opposing met humans and aimed to knock him down hard. Things were moving around me in a constant way, never slowing down. It almost felt like a blur. I was trying to fend off as many as I could without getting hurt myself, but it was almost impossible since more were trying to grab me as I was getting some off. It was a push and pull. and I knew I wasn't the only one going through this.

Thankfully, some of us were doing better than others there scene they had more strength on their side. Croc was able to handle his own because of his owns strength, lifting at least four of them over his head like they were loaves of bread. I had a good upper hand too, but not by much since I could only take not two at a time, maybe three at the most if they weren't so beefy. But they were still on the apprehend, with so many of them and some of her powers coming into play. I was getting whacked a few times, that much was certain, but it was more on my hand tog et them back and try not to get myself killed.

Jerks and his gang were rougher around the edges in how they were handling the goons. It was about brutal, even Jenks was skilled in his own fighting. I was surprised that we were finding ourselves with the upper hand. They were good, very good, having me think that they had to defend themselves before when it comes to others trying to harm. That was both a blessing and a curse at the same time.

One of those goons tried to get me in a headlock, in which I tried to get out of it and I reached put to grab his arm there that as having me in a mean grip. It was almost a struggle, then trying ti rip his hand off and feeling as though I was ripping his skin. From my spot, I looked down to see that I did rip his skin, like a band-aid from the skin there. But the skin was coming back together from where I ripped as if he healed himself like sand. It made me harder for me to kill him. The man who had me in the headlock chuckled as I saw Boomerang looking over my way now, seeing that I was in trouble and he was running over to me through the mob of the fight.

"Try again, bitch," The man who had me locked there growled, having me then grab with both hands his arm there and held on tight. I nodded at Boomerang as he was getting closer, kicking up one of my feet and seeing him grab it with both hands to throw me over the head of the guy behind me. It was a nice trick that I learned from Harley herself, the gymnastic-master as I landed behind him and grabbed his head from behind, snapping his neck and his head off clean. All of his body dissolved like sand, falling to the ground there in between the both of us. I moved back to my human form again, finding my breath again.

"Thanks," I said to him, seeing him nod in agreement there and in acknowledgment as we heard some kind of bang there, an explosion behind us, the both of us looking over in that direction as the gang that came with Jenks were moving over to the sound and the rising smoke that was setting into the roof there. There was a large hole there from the double doors that were apparently leading to the other rooms. I had the thought, as well as the rest of the mob there that was slowly turning on Haven, it was where Dr. Adams were.

Perfect.

"Let's go say hello to the bloke," Boomerang said in a gleeful manner, grabbing both of his own boomerangs within his hands and we both started to run with the mob. Most of the goons and Haven guards were already down for the count, knowing that they were no longer going to be a threat anymore as some of them were still standing and still willing to fight. We went along with the mob.

"Task Force, X, cease fire!" Waller said in our earpieces now, seeing what was going on and not liking it. I could hear it in her tone as Deadshot finally spoke up in the comm.

"We're just doing what you sent us to do, Waller," Deadshot said in the earpiece, having me crack a grin with the sarcasm there on his face.

"Follow my orders," Waller warned one more time to in order to get control back in her court again. Boomerang and I stood in front of the broken or there, seeing people pouring in there and trying to get out and over to Adams first as some of the Haven people were still trying to hold them at bay. I threw on my diamond form again, getting me a second wave of energy back in me again since we were just getting our hands dirty with this mission.

"You can kill us, we don't give a shit," Deadshot said again now to her in confidence," Where are you gonna find another task force to do your dirty work anyhow?" She said nothing on her end, in which I thought we got her finally in her own game of playing god. She couldn't afford to lose the group of them sine they were the best ones in Task Force X, already lost Chato and me when we left the prison. Was she going to lose anymore?

I heard a roar of fire from one side of the room, making me look to see Chato fending off a few other goons there on his own as I moved away from Boomerang and over to where he was in hopes that I would help him out with the battle ahead. Two of those guys were jumping on his back to tackle him, in which I threw out my hands to blast them both off of him before they could touch him. They flew off in a swift manner as another one was about to strike him on his back. I jumped over his back, launching myself on the man and getting him to the floor with a punch to the face. He was out cold now, having me slowly get up from the ground to look over at Chato, seeing that his eyes were still glowing there from the use of his powers and his hands were still on fire. I was going to protect every chance that I could.

No one touches my husband.

I heard a gun shot go off, something hitting my head hard like a swift kick and I leaned back from the force. Chato looked over at me in a panic now as I stumbled from the hit, slowing coming back to my regular stance again and feeling something lodged into my forehead, almost stuck there. Chato looked over at me now, seeing the object there and then looked over in the direction of the source. I did too, seeing none other than the hothead himself with his shotgun in his hand, aimed right at me. He looked messed up already, bloody here and there and bruises already forming as he looked desperate to stop us there, or at least trying to stop me. I didn't know which one, but it was going to be seen within the next few seconds.

"You're not going anywhere," He said to me shooting once more as it now hit my lower stomach, but nothing happened. He looked shocked there seeing that there was no progress for me going down. I gave him my own sense of a death glare, already fed up with him from the moment he threatened us back at Dodger Stadium months ago. I walked over to him, slowly and surely as he fired another shot, and another one, trying to at least find some kind of weak spot there within me. But with every bounce off from me, there and more and more fear in his eyes that he was going to lose after all. The cockiness was long gone, and I stood right in front of him, grabbing the gun and snapping it in half like it was a piece of wood there. I then grabbed his collar within my diamond fingers, throwing him over to me and slamming my head against his to knock him out cold.

He fell to the floor in a heap.

Chato walked over to me, standing close enough to where his fiery fingers were touching the back of my diamond arm and I could hear someone else walking over too. I didn't look up, only at the body there in front of me and how he seemed so peaceful there out cold.

"Good riddance," Boomerang said as he joined myself and Chato. looking down at the guy there. I snorted.

"Nighty night," I said to the cocky boy as I now looked ahead with him there next to me. I breathed out slowly, the three of us were looking up at the broken door that the cookie guy was trying to block from us. He was thinking that whatever was past there was so important enough for him to sacrifice himself so that we wouldn't see. But now that he was out of the way, it was wide open now for us to find out who was behind the wheel ordeal.

We were going to meet Mr. Adams after all.

* * *

Author's note: Next chapter's gonna end it! Leave a review!


	11. Chapter 11

"Where's he hiding out?" I walked over to where Jenks was holding one of the goons hostage against one of the walls, his bare hadn't around the man's neck as two of Jenks's followers were standing behind him. I knew one of them: the bird man from the club months earlier. He heard me walking up with Chato and Boomerang in tow now. Birdman looked at me, his eyes scanning me left and right there in a fast pace, a small smile on his lips.

"Hello again," he said to me, having me grin at him now briefly before we both looked at the matter at hand, finding Adams himself. The goon that was held hostage by Jenks was in his own trance, thanks to Jenks's ability and in how he was mind controlling him.

"Fifth floor. He has his own panic room that he ran into before you came," he said in a drained kind of tone, Jenks looking over at the three of us there.

"We'll find him" Boomerang reassured him, grabbing one of his boomerangs from his jacket.

"We should bring him out," Jenks suggested, "Knowing the money he has, a panic room is going to be tricky to get into."

"What do you suggest?" I questioned, trying to think of another way to get the guy out of his little hideaway that he barricaded himself into. He knew that we were coming, and now he was going to try and avoid us as much as humanly possible. But we were so close, way too close to just give up and not find him. There had to be a way.

"We can always do a good ol' fashion threat?" Boomerang asked with a shrug of his shoulders, "Let us expose the bastard and show the world his true colors?"

"Sounds dirty enough," Chato agreed there next to me.

"Sounds too easy, we need something dirtier," Jenks added as he thought to himself, before looking back at the man now and was still holding him up by the neck, "Does the man have a family?"

"Jenks," I said in an almost surprising tone, both in shock and in a warning. I didn't think he would go that thick and that low below the belt. But the way he sounded, almost like it was another conversation and not like a threat, I wondered what was up his own sleeve.

"I can find out about his family within seconds, find out where they live and then—_" Jenks explained as if he was listing off a grocery list in his head. But then he was cut off by the intercom, the man's voice there hitting the airwaves and he sounded desperate.

"I'll come out," We all stood there in silence, hearing it there and thinking that it was some kind of truck there wit the voice and how he sounded more scrawny than powerful like he did before. We all were in silence then, thinking that it was far too easy for us to just walk in there and for him.

"I'll come out and surrender," he said finally, after another moment or two of thinking to himself apparently. I looked over at Chato with a raised eyebrow, thinking that I missed something translation and even Boomerang had a confusing and almost uncomfortable look on his face.

"That was far too easy," Jenks said in a low manner now, thinking about it himself now as he looked back at the goon, whom said nothing but looked drained enough as it was. Deadshot, Flag, and Croc were walking around the corner with some more of Jenks's army.

"Did I hear what I just heard? He surrendered?" Deadshot asked in an amusing way, a small smile on his lips, "Sounds like he's a pussy."

"A big one," Croc said in agreement.

"Why don't we meet him and find out?" Jerks asked the group of us, "I wanna meet the man who's been turning my good friends into mind controlled zombies."

"Agreed," I said out loud there for the group, all of them were looking at me since I was still thinking of the concept that he did this to Chato. This was personal in my opinion, how he made my husband turn into something that was not even him in the first place, to take him to a dark part of his mind without him realizing it. It made me sick to my stomach and almost angry to the pointing of wanting to kill him, just for doing that to Chato.

"Waller's going to want him alive," Flag advised.

"Since when are we on her good side at this point, mate?" Boomerang asked in an honest opinion.

"Well, since we already pissed her off enough to go against her wishes her, I don't think we should really push it," Deadshot explained, having me look at him next to Chato and see him watch every one of us, me lastly. He knew, out of all the people there, he knew what I went through. He was our leader, and he knew that he would have to hold us together fi we were going to survive this and Waller in the long run. I had to respect that about him since he was the father figure to us all there in the squad.

"Let's just get him and get it over with," Chato said in a mumble now since he could feel the tension there amongst us all. I nodded in agreement, thinking we might as well get this over with in the right way than stew in it. Jerks looked back at the goon there, lowering him to the floor now and no longer holding him in a threatening way.

"You're going to lead us to him," He said in a statement, the goon looking at him with wide eyes and not moving for a second. Deadshot cocked his gun in almost a way to have the man move, in which it worked. Jenks, with the man there within his grasp, lead the way over to the elevators and we were following him. I could hear the commotion behind me, having me look one more time now as Jenks's gang and some of the SEAL's were rounding up the goons that were still left, getting them against the walls and cuffing them for good. I looked ahead again, staying next to Chato as we were entering one of the larger elevators that would hold the group of us. I faced out as the elevator doors closed behind us, shooting us to the sky.

Shooting us to Adams.

The double doors opened, Deadshot and Flag going in first and Jenks with the goon right in the middle, the rest of us were flanking in the back. We were quiet, walking in and looking around at the main office of Dr. Adams. If I thought some doctors where and when it came to luxury, he was far worse. Expensive furniture to the left near the high windows that showing the night sky, a huge and extensive library next to it along the wall, paintings that were far more than my own house to show some class, and it was all pointing to the large glass desk with the high-end computer on the top. There was no sign of a panic room, not a first when we were walking in and looking at the articles that we had on the wall. I was the one looking at them as we passed them, seeing the constant recurring word METAHUMAN there on each of those articles. It made a wonder, was he genuinely curious about us?

Or was it an obsession?

"Over here." The goon said to Jenks now as he was pointing to the library behind the desk there, all of us looking there and seeing nothing. Maybe it was behind the library, as a secret room that he was going to hide behind until this all blown over and he was scotch clean again. Bur we stood there, thinking of how this was going to work, and I saw Deadshot looking around for some kind of opening that he could use.

"You gonna come out?" He asked out loud, having me realize that Adams was listening in somehow since he might have had cameras in his own office, "Or should we blow the place to bits?"

"I'll come out in one condition," Adams said through the intercom in the room, all of us staying still and wondering what he was going to say next, "I'll talk to the female."

Everyone in the room looked over at me now, having me stay still and feel more confused and frustrated than anything. He only wanted to talk to me? Why was I the special one? It felt like he knew about me, more than I would like for someone as a stranger to know about me. I looked over at Flag and Deadshot now, in hopes that they would help since I didn't know what to say.

"I'll only talk to her and no one else," The voice said once again, still sounding hesitant and not confident, but still trying to hold onto something there on his side.

"You've got to be kidding," Deadshot grumbled not as he thought to himself. I had to think that this might be the only way that I would get him out of there and pray for what he has done. If I was going to go in there, I would have to remind myself that this was about the mission, not my own personal vendetta. I had to learn how to control myself now, in which I took a hesitant step forward and Chato immediately grasped my arm. I looked over at him, seeing the grave look on his face as he shook his head.

He didn't want me to go.

"I'll answer all that you need to know," The voice reassured me as if he was trying to coax me into going into the room. I kept my eyes on Chato, seeing the fear there in his eyes. I knew he was scared for me and what would happen behind those bulletproof doors, and he was not going to let me go from him again since that last time it happened we almost lost each other. He was in that trance thanks to that doctor, and he almost killed me because of it. Chato was not going to let that happen to me again if something were to happen to me in the end. I grasped his hand on my arm.

"He comes along with me," I said aloud for the man to hear, Chato giving me a confused look.

"The other metahuman? What for?" He asked, almost in annoyance as I looked ahead of me, at wherever the camera was.

"He's my husband, and he almost killed me because of your experiment," I said in a bold manner hearing nothing on his end. He was contemplating, I hope he was at least since I made it sound so bitter on my tongue. I stayed still, everyone in the room did as he was silent for almost 10 seconds before answered.

"Only you two,"

Chato grasped my hand as we both were looking ahead at the set of library books on the wall, taking a few steps together side by side. It felt like we were once again walking into a death trap and there was no way out. If this was the only way that we were going to get him to stop whatever he was going, then so be it. It might have to be.

"I don't like this," Chato murmured under his breath to me as we were getting closer to the library wall.

"Me neither," I agreed, "But it's the only thin we can do."

"Hey," We both stopped and looked behind us, seeing Flag there and Deadshot looking at me. They looked concerned, the both of them really, and I saw Flag carefully reached put scratch the back of his neck now as he spoke to the pair of us.

"Be careful," he said to us, the others in the room nodding in agreement. But as he was pulling his hand away from his head, I saw him tap his earpiece twice and not moving his eyes from me. I thought he was doing something random there in front of me, without being seen. However, I was realizing what hew as doing: he was telling us without using his mouth.

Lose the earpiece and the comm. No Waller.

We both looked back, having me breathe out slowly now as we approached the library wall. At first, nothing happened, the silence there was almost deafening as it feeling like we were waiting there forever and a day. But then I could hear things moving behind the wall there and the books as if something heavy and thick was sliding to the side with some heaviness behind it. Then the bookcase, the one in front of us actually, started to shift and was pushed back slightly, sliding to the left there with ease and without any real sound behind it. Being the library case was a thick metal door there, almost making me think that we were about to go into a large vault at the bank.

"Holy shit," Croc said in a gap behind us back in the middle of the room as the metal door was now sliding to the side. Chato and I could only stand there as it was slowly moving, having me feel like I had to tell Chato something before we go in there, and we both had to be on the same page.

"Don't let me do something stupid in there," I said to him, almost like a command as the door was moving further and further back into the wall.

"You're not going to do somethin' stupid," He reassured me under his breath as I now turned to face him, seeing him do the same. We were close enough to almost breathing each other in, and since this was going to be life or death at this point, I had to make sure that what we were doing was right.

"Promise me," I asked me, almost wanting to touch his face once more and have that sense of warmth again that only he could give me. I knew it sounded petty and like I was pleading him, but I had to know that he was going to be behind me 100%. He nodded his head slowly, pulling me into a hug and I hugged him back, the hug was comforting and not crushing.

"I promise," He said as he carefully rubbed my back there, the door was about to be all done opening there,"We'll be okay," He was short about it, which was perfect since the door was now opened and we were now about to go into the lion's den. Neither one of us knew what to expect, and I could feel him reaching over to my neck, having me do the same. We both knew what we had to do before we were going to meet with this Adams guy, and I felt him pop it out of my ear as I did the same for him.

We both released out earpieces without the others seeing.

Chato snuck it under my vest as I snuck it under his jacket, almost too skillfully then and without it being too in the open. Once we released each other and we looked ahead again, hand in hand, we started walking down the small hallway that was metallic walls and concrete floor. It was no longer than 10 feet into the thick wall there, and it was light to show the other door on the other end that was slowly opening itself. I was holding my own breath as the door was opening to show the room there that we were going to see.

Once we walked into the room, very slowly and with hesitation, I noticed that it wasn't a typical panic room. It was beyond large for a panic room, almost like it was its own small apartment there within the walls of his establishment. It was more comfort than modern, compared to his office out there. I saw one section being a living room with a fireplace in the wall, a fire already roaring there and making it almost seem cozy. There were floor rugs there and along the wooden floor and a record player playing some classic music to calm the air. Next to that was a smaller kitchen, a small table in the middle that had some papers spread out on the top of the table and a cup of coffee sitting there alone. Near us was a sitting area, a few chairs spread out and a small hallway that could be leading to the bedroom.

I thought nothing was seen at first, no sign of the guy as we were looking around at the small panic room, but then I noticed that someone was sitting with their back to us on the couch and looking at the fireplace, saying nothing and not moving an inch. I knew it was him, I could feel it there within my bones as both Chato and I saw him there. I could feel Chato getting one of his hands engulfed in flames and my one hand was morphing into a diamond form. We were ready for anything that could happen from this one man that did all of this, and we stood there as he finally spoke.

"Would you like some tea?"

We said nothing since it sounded so polite and yet not even close to what we had in mind. What was going on? We looked at each other now and stay still, our guards were still up now as he turned to looked over at the both of us, getting up from the couch he was sitting in and we finally saw his face.

For one thing, he looked worn down.

He didn't look like he could kill us, not in his face. No, he looked like he was lacking sleep and lacking any hope int he situation that was in front of him. Hell, he looked young but the bags under his eyes and the thinning hair was saying otherwise. I thought he would have gone through some kind of trauma there as he looked at the both of us.

"Can I get you guys some tea?" He asked again now, sounding a bit hesitant to ask. We were still staying still, still wondering if he was going to dos something or take off that persona that he was giving the both of us. But once again, nothing. He sighed, looking down at our weaponed hands. He shoved his hands in his pockets now as he walked over to where the kitchen table was.

"No need to think I'll do anything to you," he said to the both of us, not in a grumble, but none the less sounding drained. He sat down in a pump, motioning to the two chairs there now with his fingers, "Come sit. I'll tell you everything you need to know."

Neither Chato and I moved, thinking that we were gong to be crazy to move over there and sit with him as if we were old friends. I could feel Chato being hesitant next to me as if he was going to hit me for making the first move. I moved over to the table, keeping my diamond hadn't against my side but still alert enough to not fully believe this person. I walked, Chato right behind me close enough to where I could feel him press against my back there as I was slowly making my way over to the table, still wanting to seem as though I was not comfortable with this whole thing yet.

"I only picked to talk to you since I knew about you," He explained as he looked down at the table with the files there on the top, scanning them with his eyes almost like he's done this a thousand times before, "My job was to make the world a better place for the metahumans."

I sat down at the table across from him, placing my diamond formed hand there on the top of the table there in front of us as some sense of security. He eyed it there, and then look right at me, "I never wanted any of this: all of the death and the kidnapping."

"Sounds hard to believe when it's your name on the side of the building," I voiced to him finally, now almost seeing him smile a bit from what I told him.

"My name may be on the product, but it wasn't my doing for all of that to happen," He explained, I tilted my head at him now in confusion since he was making himself sound more like the victim, "I would leave that to my head of security."

"It was his idea?" Chato asked in a gruff behind me. As soon as he said that, Adams had a look of the shame there on his face: shame, and guilt as he was thinking in his head. I didn't know if I should be afraid of him or not, but it was getting to be that point.

"I thought employing a head of staff that was a metahuman was a good idea at the time," He explained, "But he had other things in his head that were a bit more on the sinister side. He knew how to talk to others, how to have them think things and know things that aren't true. So…he basically turned against me."

"So you were basically working for him?" I asked him, trying to get it right in my head what he was saying.

"Sounds petty, believe me, but after he killed my wife and told me that my daughter was going to be next, what more could I do but play the part?" That part killed me, what he was saying and how it sounded so truthful at the same time. He was threatened by this person, this other metahuman that basically took over this life and was going to kill his only child if he wasn't going to do his bidding. A big part of me didn't want to believe him, having me think that this was a huge lie. But the other side of me, the human side, knew where he was coming from. He would go to this length in order to have his daughter safe. He would turn his own company over to a bunch of radicals just to know that his daughter was not going to be harmed.

"What's her name?" I asked, seeing him slowly look up at me now in almost shock as to how I would ask him that and not call him out on his bluff. I stayed still, waiting for some kind of answer there from him as he breathed out slowly.

"Madeline," He replied softly, and saying her name almost brought a sense of light there on his face.

"We have a daughter too," I explained to him, not to jab at his side, but to just let him know, "Her name's Mary. She's going to be five soon, in about a month or so." I felt Chato placed his human hand on my shoulder, squeezing it slightly as I said this and I took my deep breath, "We're doing this because we felt as though we had no other choice."

He said nothing, thinking about it and all that was going on within the last few month. Did he have any real idea as to who we almost lost, who we could have lost? Was I supposed to blame him?

"Who was he?" I asked him now, seeing him give out another shaky breath there as he then looked a bit scary as he was about to answer it for me.

"The one you head slammed about 10 minutes ago."

I could see his face in my head again. It was vivid and almost too grainy like I was watching him on a film. The cocky boy, pretending to be a goon but he was behind the whole thing after all. Of course, he would have that kind of swagger behind him, being able to walk into the room thinking that he did own the world and all that was within it. I felt a bit sick thinking that a person like that was in charge of something this big and this life changing, and yet he was wielding that power a kid in a candy store.

Reckless and unhinged.

"You said he was a metahuman," Chato said behind me, speaking up once again, "What could he do?"

"He knew how to turn nightmares and dreams into reality…almost like an illusion," He explained, almost being haunted with it himself there. Did that man do any of that to me while I saw him the few times there? I didn't feel like he was doing it to me, maybe he was reserved about it. A bit taken back was more like it. and I had no idea how powerful he was since I was the one who knocked him out some minutes before being there.

"He plagued my mind, he knew what I wanted and what I was desiring after," he went on, thinking about it like it was itching away in his brain, and I could see it there as he was talking about it and the tick behind his tone, "He saw that I needed my daughter, and he used it against me…" He was the true victim, I could totally see it there on his face and in how he was trying to just breathe normally there. I really wanted to see that he was the one to blame, for what happened to Chato, and for what happened to plenty of others that weren't dangerous to begin with. How was it now that I was getting a change of heart for the guy? This was not supposed to be me at all, and yet here it was.

"You probably don't believe me, I wouldn't if I was you," He said in a huff now as he got up from the table there and moved over to the kitchen counter, grabbing one of the mugs that was left out there and then moving over to the kettle that was on the stove, grasping it in his hand and then pouring it into the mug, "I am the reason that most of your friends are dead, or about to be dead. I should be dead because of that."

Guilt, all over the place and on his face.

I had to look over at Chato, seeing him look down at me too. I wished to know what he was thinking at that moment if he was buying this as close as I was too. I could read that face, and I could see that he too was seeing this guy more as a human than a human being. We both were slowly getting on the same page, and I had to look back at the guy as he was clutching the side of the counter with his spare hand and holding his mug in the other hand.

"People are gonna ask about you," I said to him, slowly moving up from the chair there and standing a bit behind him, not moving a spot there as I was seeing him pause and hear my words,"If we do believe you on this on, and it's a bit of a long stretch believe me, how are we going to go away from this?"

He said nothing once again, thinking about it in his head and I could see it there as he was hunched over a bit now and it was washing over him on what we were supposed to do about this. I felt as though I was giving him a choice to get out of this without his head being on a spike from the other metahumans that were waiting out there for him. Chato took and step over to stay near me too, not saying anything as Adams rubbed the back of his head there.

"I'll turn myself in," He said finally, the both of us saying nothing as we were hearing something that we never thought we would that night, "I'll make sure that they know that no one else is going to be drugged I'll sign whatever I have to,"

"You know they won't believe you," Chato reasoned with him in a gruff manner, "They'll eat you alive." I knew it was true since they were only going to see his name and nothing more. They weren't going to believe him because of his name being on all the products and all the drugs there. It wasn't going to work..unless. I had an idea, a small glimmer of hope that could work there as I took another step forward.

"What if we make them believe you?" I asked him, in almost a hopeful tone instead of a drag. He looked over at me now, not getting what I was telling him.

"What do you mean?" He asked, placing the mug down on the counter again as he looked at me in concern now, thinking that this sounded impossible and not even close to working.

"We know someone that can have you tell the truth, all of the truth," I explained, almost sounding desperate again there since I wanted him to really know that I myself was telling the truth, "If we get him to use his ability on you and then have you tell them the truth, then we make this right."

No one said a word, no one moved since I left that there on the table. I was giving him a chance to not be seen as a villain if he was telling us the truth after all. Was he telling us the truth about himself, how he was blackmailed almost into doing all of this and left with the damages there in his name? If he was telling the truth, this might be the only way that he might be able to clear this name. But if he was lying, we would know once and for all if he was and he would be punished. I would only hope with the latter, since letting the mob that was still out there take care of him was not the best way. And I personally didn't think that he would survive with Waller, and with that mind in my head, I had a small sense of pity towards him.

He sighed, looking right at me square in the eyes then. I felt Chato touch the edge of my shirt there thinking that I was exposing myself there to the man that we briefly just met. Adams finally looked over at me, a look of satisfaction there on his face, not to mention fatigue.

"I'll do it."

* * *

Author's Note: I lied, I have one more chapter! Buwaha! Leave me a review!


	12. Epilogue

The car was slowly driving throughout the trees on the one road that was there. It was quiet, soft and quiet with nothing else going on in my head. All that I needed to know what was I was out of there, I was free from what happened, and I was not going to look back.

For starters, the metahumans were no longer a target.

Adams testified, all thanks to Jenks there and his handy ability, in front of the police and even the government that it was not his idea for the manslaughter of the people there that were both innocent and guilty, mostly innocent to be fair. But since it was now out in the world and everyone knew, Adams was no longer to blame. At least, not all the blame was going to be on him. He had to pay for the damages and for the mess that happened, all because his name was on the product and was involved with it. He was willing, not even having to twist his arm in order for us to get what we want from it.

Secondly, Chato and I had to run.

Waller was still up in the air when it came to the pair of us and us still wanting to work for her. I was not longer wanting that luxury, and I felt that Chato was on the same page as well. The night before we left for the mission we both had our own plan going into motion, not even the others knew about it. We had to keep it between the both of us and no one else since it was still a hesitant thought that someone would let it slip to Waller, but that was a fat chance. We had to be sneaky about it and not let her know where we were going, and we did it quick and without a second thought.

As soon as we knew Adam's was in the authorities' hands, I felt Chato grab my hand and I looked back at him. We were in a group there, watching Adam making the testimony there for the police to hear and to record and I saw the look on my husband's face. He knew that this was then the time that we had in order to carry out with our plan.

So we left.

Before anyone else knew what we were doing, the pair of us snuck out the back door and out over to where we knew we could escape. The only other person that knew what we were doing was Dr. June, who told us that she could provide us with a car. it was the least she could do apparently, and she was so willing to make sure that the three of us were going to be okay. I couldn't think her enough, since she reassured us that she wouldn't tell Flag, at least not at first.

It was risky, but it worked.

We snagged the car that she provided that was parked out of the way and over to the side, our earpieces were out and thrown into the sewer drain as we were walking over and Chato pulled us out and away from there, I looked behind us as I saw the red and blue flashing lights dying away in the distance as we were getting farther and farther away. it felt risky, what we were doing, not to mention almost like we were being mean to our friends for not saying goodbye. I wanted to tell them, I really wanted to, but we knew that we would have no other choice. They might have been bugged and Waller would know, it was not what we wanted.

We had to let them go.

We made a stop at the area where we told Harley we would pick up Mary. She was still so good to us, another ally that we could rely on in the end. She took care of her of course, and it was a bit harder for her not to let The Joker in on what she was doing for the both of us. But she did it because I knew she was going to do anything and everything for her Goddaughter.

She was not fully committed to The Joker after all.

I scooped Mary into my arms there as we met in a remote area that we planned, feeling Mary squeezing her arms around me showing that she missed me far too much. Chato and Harley were talking in hushed whispers as I was kissing my daughter's hair.

"Let me know when you guys are safe enough for me to call," Harley explained to him now as I looked over at her, seeing her shove her hands in her pockets and then looked over at me. She was concerned about Mary, I could see it on her face, but underneath it too that she was concerned about the pair of us too. I nodded at her too as Chato gave her one more hug.

"Thank you, for everything," Chato said to her as they hugged together and I walked over, still holding Mary in my arms. She pulled away from Chato and rubbed Mary's back as she looked at me. I saw the genuine look there, not the coy look that she would pull every once in awhile with the others while we were on missions. Something about Chato and I showed that she was more genuine and no longer was hiding something behind her mask that she would normally wear. She was real with us, whether we did it on purpose or not.

"Stay in touch, will ya?" She asked me, almost like she sounded like she was on the brink of tears from what she was saying to the both of us, "I don't wanna loose you two as friends. I'm not good with loosin' people."

"You ain't gonna lose us," Chato reassured her as he took Mary from my arms so I could hug Harley. She hugged me tightly, almost a fierce hug there as we were loosing daylight and we needed to get out on the road again. I wanted to stay there for another few minutes with her, to really give her a proper goodbye for the moment that we had but I knew I was robbed of that. This was not how it was supposed to happen, but it did.

"I'll talk to you soon," I said to her in a calming tone as we pulled away from each other and I saw the emotion there on her face, the emotion of heartbreak. I didn't want to leave, she was a good friend of mine that was close to my heart.

"Call me when you get settled," She reminded me, seeing a stray of my hair there in front of my eyes and Harley moved it away before I could do it myself. She was gentle about it, and I almost made me cry there.

"You know I will."

By the time we were pulling out the parking lot and back on the road, both of our phones were going off. We knew that it was either Waller or someone from the Squad, and as I was getting Mary settled in her car seat, I saw the phone ID on my own cell there in between Chato and me in the front seat. We both looked, though Chato was keeping his eyes on the road, and it was reading Deadshot.

Great.

I looked over at Chato, seeing him look a bit off now that we knew we were going to be on the run. He was still eyeing the road in front of us and he finally looked over at me. He was determined to go through with this plan, but I knew he wanted to pick up the phone too. Chato was concerned, as was I.

"I should answer it," I said in a low manner, not making it sound demanding and desperate, but not wanting to make it sound casual.

"What if it's Waller using his phone?" Chato asked, thinking of the possibilities and the downfall to answering the phone. I looked at him from the phone, thinking the same thing too now since we could be reeled back in with this whole situation that was going on back there. I wanted to leave it behind, but what if something was really wrong and they needed us, or they were really wondering what was going on with us.

The call ended, having me see the notification that a voicemail was left there. I picked it up, slowly hitting the speaker button and the one other button to have the message read out loud there in the car:

"Heya Rosie," It was his voice after all now as I was listening to his tone that sounded a bit calm and almost hurt, "I guess you and the flame boy left the nest. Kind of was hoping you guys would say goodbye, but I figured it was the only way to leave," I felt like he stabbed me there in the heart and was making me feel bad, having me place the phone there on the dashboard for the both of us to listen to it.

"Listen, just take care of each other out there. I know it's gonna be rough from here on out from what I know because of this metahuman thing. You guys need to lay low for awhile, keep Mary safe, and just,,,just live I guess." I could see Chato shifting in his car seat, almost in an uncomfortable way now as he was still driving and I looked back at our daughter. Mary was looking out the window, clutching her plush uniform Boomerang gave her when she turned three, and she was about to fall asleep.

"Let us know when you guys are safe, either mail us a goddamn postcard or what. But yeah, let us know. You guys are family…and whenever I get out of here,…we'll have another dinner together like families do. Okay? Stay safe you two,"

The message ended, having em close off the voicemail and look ahead now, feeling lower than low from leaving them behind. They were still having to go back to prison, for who know how long and if they are going to die sometime soon with the next mission that they would have to go to. I looked out my window there, seeing the tree go by silently there as I was drinking it all in.

"Hey," I felt Chato grasp my hand that was resting there on the arm rest. I could feel him lace our fingers together, such a simple act for the both of us to do in order to have me feel better. I infamy looked over at him, seeing the uneasiness there on his face as well from hearing this. I could see it there on his face, and in how he was clutching my hand like a lifeline. He felt bad too, for ditching the others in order for us to have some kind of happy life together that we were robbed of.

"It's gonna be okay, you know that right?" He asked me, to which I nodded my head in agreement, "I'm gonna make sure we're okay, I'm gonna protect us."

"Chato…" I said to him, sense that he was about to bring himself down again from his past demons and what happened to him I squeezed his hand, seeing the pain there on his face and I wanted to know why he was in pain, to bring him back from that pain, "Don't beat yourself up. What happened in the past is going to stay in the past…."

"Can't change what I did," He said to the both of us, something that he had said in the past when we first met and worked together. I squeezed his hand there, pulling our joined hands over to where I was to kiss it gently and feel the pain there almost in that kiss.

"I know you can't, and I don't want you to," I reassured him calmly now as I felt him hold my hand there and not let go, "There's not going back from here."

"I know, _Diamante,_ " he agreed, in which I finally looked over at him now as he used that name on me. it seemed like a long ago when he would call me that and I would feel my heart flutter from the nickname. I smiled at him, a fondness was growing there within my chest for him.

"You haven't called me that in a long time, _Chere_ ," I reminded him, my voice a bit lighter than before when we were dreading leaving the others behind. He looked at me finally, a small grin on his face since I reminded him of our past and what we did. He pulled our joined hands over to him now, resting my side of our joined hands there against his chest as he hummed in agreement there.

"Still has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" He asked, nonchalantly now as I chuckled a bit as if we were back to our old selves again. It felt like it, more than it did before.

And I wanted it to stay that way for a long time and not go anywhere.

* * *

"Good night, _mi amor_ ," I looked from the hallway of the small cottage that we were renting out for the night. We finally got to a place where we knew that we were going to have to crash for the night before we kept going to go on with the next leg of the ride to our next home. We found another place that was good enough for us to stay at, way off the grid compared to the house we had before. We were halfway there, but we needed to rest for the night.

"Daddy, I'm scared," Mary confessed to her father as I stood in the hallway, listening in on the conversation now. I looked in slightly, seeing Chato sit on the edge of the bed there as he was watching our daughter with concern on his face.

"Why are you scared?" He asked her softly, though the baritone in his voice could be heard where I was.

"I don't want you and mommy to leave again," I looked over at Chato now to see his reaction, in who he felt heartbroken from what Mary told him. We knew that we didn't want to do this because it would scar Mary in some way shape or form. She was our main reason for staying away, for not going back, and yet we broke that completely just to help others. I felt terrible, beyond terrible as a mother there as Chato answered for the both of us.

"We're not gonna leave you anymore, Mary. It's gonna be the three of us again, okay?" He sounded so sure of himself there as if it was saying some kind of vow to her as she nodded her head and he leaned down to tuck her in. Kissing her on the head, he got up and moved out of the room, turning off the light behind him as I moved out of his way in time. Once he closed the door, I rubbed my face in my hands there already feeling the weight of the whole mess that we just went through in my head.

"Come here," He said in a calming fashion, grabbing my with his hands along my arms and pulling me into his embrace. He knew how to calm me, even in times like this when It felt like everything was against us. Chato was beyond good to know that he needed to calm me down and make me feel safe again.

He then pulled away enough for him to lean in and kiss me, almost throwing me for a loop in how much pressure I was feeling from the kiss there. I instantly kissed him back, thinking that it was what we both needed, and he wrapped both of his arms around me and pulled me flushed against him. All that could be heard was kissing between the both of us, almost a hint of heavy breathing as I was feeling the boldness within me coming through again. All because of him, and it drove me into brushing my tongue against his lower lip and hearing a possessive growl from him as he hoisted me up, once again having me wrap my legs around his waist.

Once we pulled away from kissing each other into oblivion, I just smiled down at him and I framed his face within my hands since I was still propped up a bit higher than him. He looked up at me like I was some kind of angel that fell from the sky, and there were only a few times that he would look at me like that. Like I saved him and I brought him out of the darkness. Was that so? Was that what he was thinking about me? All I knew, was that I was thinking that same way about him.

"I love you," I whispered to him, leaning down to touch our forehead together as she shook his head.

"I love you more," he replied, rearranging his hold there along my thighs there since he was not going to drop me. Up until this point, I knew that I would never love anything or anyone more than him, both Chato and Mary. They both were all I needed, even after every mission and every fight that I was in, every close call that I encountered that could have taken me away from them both. I was beyond lucky to know what love was like even with someone whom I never thought would look my way. I grinned at him, the joy within me from being back with him was enough to get me through the day as I murmured two words against his lips.

"Not possible,"

The End.

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks again for the support and for the love! It was great writing this, and who knows. Maybe I'll write another Diablo X OC story for Suicide Squad. Let me know what you think! 


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